The African Harrier-Hawk is a Southern African bird that belongs to the Accipitridae bird family group which includes birds such as Raptors, Old Vultures, Osprey.

The description for the African Harrier-Hawk (Latin name Polyboroides typus) can be found in the 7th Edition of the Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. The Polyboroides typus can be quickly identified by its unique Roberts identification number of 169 and the detailed description of this bird is on page 505. You will find a picture of the African Harrier-Hawk on page 433.

NOTE: The reference for the information following is "Roberts Birds of Southern Africa", 7th Edition*. This edition contained a number of taxonomic changes as well as changes to English names used traditionally and in earlier editions of most bird books in South Africa. The following paragraph notes such changes if any.

This bird is known as Gymnogene in the Roberts 6th Edition. There have been no changes in the Latin name for the African Harrier-Hawk between the Roberts 6th and Roberts 7th Edition

The African Harrier-Hawk is known in Afrikaans as Kaalwangvalk.