Photo: Johan van Rensburg / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Bat Hawk
Macheiramphus alcinus
Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) — Birds of Prey of Africa.
Found across 12 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in Africa, Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 650 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Accipitriformes
- Family Accipitridae Kites, Hawks, Eagles
- Genus Macheiramphus
- Species alcinus
Where it lives
Widespread in AF, Myanmar to Borneo and New Guinea
Quick facts
- Weight
- 650 g
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Bat Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open forest, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Bat Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) is a member of the Accipitridae family, within the order Accipitriformes. It is found across Africa, Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers AF, OR, AU widespread in AF, Myanmar to Borneo and New Guinea.
It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 650 g, with a wing length of about 36 cm and a tail of around 19 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 13.6 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Bat Hawk?
The Bat Hawk is a large bird that weighs around 650 g.
Where does the Bat Hawk live?
The Bat Hawk is found across Africa, Australia & Oceania and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering AF, OR, AU widespread in AF, Myanmar to Borneo and New Guinea, where it is typically found in wooded and forested habitats.
What family does the Bat Hawk belong to?
The Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Bat Hawk eat?
The Bat Hawk preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Bat Hawk migrate?
The Bat Hawk is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Bat Hawk endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Bat Hawk make?
1 real field recording of the Bat Hawk — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Bat Hawk's range?
The Bat Hawk has a mapped global range of about 13.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
Meet the Accipitridae
A field guide to the Accipitridae family — 254 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.