Breeding Records and Nesting Habitats of the Japanese Lesser Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis in Residential Area of Tochigi Prefecture

Abstract

The Japanese Lesser Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis breeds in mountain forests of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu in Japan. However, its breeding has been observed in recent years in some small forest patches close to residential areas. We observed nine active nests at eight places in Tochigi Prefecture, central Honshu, in 1989. The breeding habitat was a mixture of residental area and agricultural field with patchy forests, or a residental area with small forest patches. A pair nested on a solitary tree near the main exit of an elementry school, where many cars and people went through. Some pairs bred in small patchy forests 7.5-22m away from human habitation. The presense of nesting trees, occurrence of small birds as available food, and the tameness of this species may be the reason why they breed in small patchy forests of residental areas.