Image: Immature African harrier-hawk (gymnogene), Polyboroides typus, at Ndumo Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28901676521)
Description: It is able to hang upside down, twist its body, and peer into holes and under bark looking for reptiles and invertebrates such as insects and scorpions. It can even walk down a tree branch at a nearly vertical angle. It can do this because it has a 'double jointed' ankle which allows it to flex backward and even a bit sideways. It also has a behavioural adaptation, in that it can use its tail and wings, as well as its legs to brace itself in position as it seeks its prey.
Title: Immature African harrier-hawk (gymnogene), Polyboroides typus, at Ndumo Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28901676521)
Credit: Immature African harrier-hawk (gymnogene), Polyboroides typus, at Ndumo Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Author: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes
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