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Buzzard in Switzerland - any Buteo specialists? (1 Viewer)

wintibird

wintibird

André Weiss
Opus Editor
 
Looks like a LL (rufinus)

unfeathered tarsis, rufous tail - sub adult? Not a 'specialist' by any definition tho so may have to eat the proverbial hat
 
Last edited:
garryriddoch said:
Looks like Long Legged to me aswell, large bird, long winged, thick legs. Plumage looks good for rufous individual.

Cheers
Garry
Click to expand...

It would be a very good record for Switzerland if so, which is probably why Andre is asking - although one was reported at the beginning of March sometime I think, so perhaps the same bird?
 
I saw the bird today and I'm also convinced that it is a Long-legged. However some birders raised the question if it's not an abberant Common or a vulpinus Common. I saw quite some LLs in Eastern Europe but to be honest I never cared much about young ones.

André

And it is a pretty good record for Switzerland, although records of LLs are increasing as is the population in Hungary and other countries.
 
Received an email today with more opinions about the buzzard. As no one was really sure the pictures were sent to Dick Forsman. That's his answer:

This bird is in my view NOT a Long-legged Buzzard! It looks more like
a 2nd cal yr Buteo buteo vulpinus to me. The structure is not that of a
Long-legged, the wings are too short and rounded and also the head is
rounded, lacking the more eagle-like and longer appearance of rufinus.

The plumage shows darker lesser underwing coverts (good for vulpinus
but not good for rufinus), a rather mottled carpal patch, and a rufous
tail with rather distinct and broad barring. The tail in juv. rufinus
is mostly pale greyish brown, whiter at the base, and the barring is
very fine and mostly confined to the brownish area only. The kind of
tail that this bird shows I have not seen in any rufinus before, while
it is a common type in vulpinus.

This seems to end the controversy about the bird. I haven't seen it in direct comparison to a Common Buzzard and my views were rather distant. But at least I learnt a lot about Buteo ID. I also think that a lot of Swiss birders did the same...;)

Greetings from Switzerland
André
 
Oh my, this is finally breaking some ice in public on this kind of pale birds.
Long awaited is the comment on this kind in Western Europe by a leading raptor expert!!
I think, many western birders are really pleased with this!!
 
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