The dark chanting-goshawk feeds mainly on rodents, birds and reptiles but will also take frogs and insects, and is not averse to carrion. It typically hunts from the perch, spending long periods attentively scanning its surroundings before swooping down to catch prey off the ground. Occasionally it will embark on high-speed aerial pursuits in order to take birds in flight. In addition, this goshawk has been observed following foraging ground-hornbills and honeybadgers to poach the prey they flush out (2) (6).
Although sedentary in most parts of its range, some West African populations are known to be partially nomadic during the dry season (2) (4). During breeding, the timing of which varies from region to region, the dark chanting-goshawk becomes very vocal, with pairs chanting melodiously from the tree tops before nesting (2) (7). One to two eggs are incubated for around 30 days in a stick nest built in a low fork in dense woodland (2) (6). The juveniles fledge from between 36 and 50 days, but are very noisy in the nest area for up to another five months (2).