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"cirtensis" Long-legged Buzzards breed in Spain (1 Viewer)

John Cantelo

Well-known member
It will hardly surprise anyone who's been following the situation down in SW Andalucia to hear that the cirtensis race of Long-legged Buzzards bred in Spain this year. Records of this Spanish rarity have increased sharply in recent years and birds have summered before (and wintered too come to that). This year I gather that two pairs atempted to breed not too far from Tarifa (being overly cautious, I prefer not to be too precise in a public forum) and one pair raised young (I've hear two or three youngsters were raised). This follows an expanision on population in Morroco apparently. Let's hope that field guides start showing more notice of this race in future since it looks like becoming a permanent fixture in SW Andalucia. Given the relative lack of birders in Spain I wonder how many birds go unnoticed. I had what was almost certainly a Long-legged Buzzard this summer - the thing was just too distant to be 100% certain and headed off into the sun before I could get as much detail as I'd like.

Incidentlally, I also saw Malling Olsen's Danish BoPs book whilst in Spain - the plates are absolutely superb (I'd call them "Jonsson-esque") and the Danish fellow whose book it was assured me, as expected, that the text was of an equal standard! I'll post some photos of the illustrations/text in the books section anon. Perhaps if enough of us bother publishers they'll bring out a English language version
 
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Thanks for the info John, an expected event I'd say, Ruppell's and Lanner are maybe the next candidates.
More unexpected has been the breeding of a mixed pair female Spanish Imperial-male Steppe Eagle for the last three years somewhere in Ávila province, an information recently made public. 2 chicks were successfully raised the first year. The male and the present year chicks have disappeared, apparently on natural causes. The male is thought to be of possible natural origin, not showing rings, being an immature when first found.
Cheers
 
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If Lanner is found to breed it may well be a re-colonisation. According to Irby's "Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar" (1875) the species bred at Coto del Rey (Seville). I also think that the original edition of Peterson's field guide suggested it formerly bred in SW Andalucia. I've also been told (on what authority I'm unsure) that the species was suspected of breeding a few decades back in the Fscinas-Los Barios area. In fact, before the era of raptor persecution, it's hard to see why the species souldn't have bred, at least occasionally, in southern Spain.

I think that Ruppell's has already atempted to breed (albeit in a mixed pair) in Iberia (Portugal rather than Spain as I recall). Given the numbers around this year - I've been told that there are between 15-30 around - although I don't know how this figure has been arrived at,
 
Wow, great news of LL Buzzard!

BTW, is it true that Ruppell's Vultures in Spain tend to be immatures, and adults somehow are not there?
 
Wow, great news of LL Buzzard!

BTW, is it true that Ruppell's Vultures in Spain tend to be immatures, and adults somehow are not there?

Well, as somebody 'more-in-the-know' than me hasn't tried to answer this one, I guess I'll have a shot! All the photos I've seen of the species in Europe appear to depict sub-adult birds of some sort - certainly none show a bird in full adult plumage (as depicted in most guidebooks I've seen where "full adults" show birds with feathers broadly & obviously edged buff both below & above).

I gather that Ruppell's do not reach full adult plumage until their seventh year (one reference suggested that they don't become adult 'for six years' which is pretty much the same thing!). Since Ruppell's has attempted to breed (as a 'mixed pair') in Portugal, there are clearly some fairly 'grown-up' birds about. Unfortunately a few European guides illustrate the species at all and even those that do seem to show only the extremes - full adults or juveniles/young immatures ('The Handbook of Bird Identification' is about the best I think). Even African guides tend to show only well 'scalloped' adults or dark juveniles and not intermediate plumages. Whether the very pale adult birds often depicted show 'typical' adults or particularly mature ones (cf 'mature' plumages of Marsh Harrier) I'm not sure.

If, as may be reasonably assumed, the majority of Ruppells Vulture are (or start off wandering) as young birds and the long period taken to develop full adult plumage, I'd imagine that most of the birds currently present in Spain will be (broadly speaking) sub-adult. Then again perhaps a full blown adult would be more likely to be picked up!

Apologies for the slightly rambling nature of this post as I was thinking it through as I typed (rarely a good idea!)
 
That Melanistic Harrier is fabulous. I've never seen a Monty's and they are my most wanted species. A melanistic one would be stunning.

Saw a female Pallid on my local Turkey patch recently and disappointed then that it wasn't a Monty's.
 
We're sliding away from the thread topic I know, but on the topic of dark morph Monties I recollect that there's a higher proportion of such birds in Iberia than anywhere else in Europe (the world?). My recollection as to the precise proportion of such birds in Spain is even more hazy, but the figure of 3%-5% comes to mind. I admit that some years back I saw one such bird barrelling on migration along high above me and for a moment I thought that I had an Eleonora's Falcon!
 
English speakers and those, like me, without access to 'Quercus' may like to know that there's a short note on the breeding of Long-legged Buzzard in Spain in the current edition of 'British Birds' (July 2010 Vol 103 p399-401). Not read it yet as it's only just arrived and I'm just back from a day trip to France (booze cruising, not birding!),
 
The above mentioned article states that "At the time of writing, early in the 2010 season, tentative evidence of breeding has been detected in several possible territories over a broader area, but these records have yet to be confirmed." I'm not so well linked to the local 'grapevine' (such as it is) to know any more, but the lack of information about summerimng birds this year (compared to previous years) did make me wonder if summat was up! I've yet to tick Long-legged in the area although only an excess of caution stops me from listing one I saw a few years back (an adult on which I saw all relevant features inc. dark brown belly patch, pale head, pale rufous tail). Sadly, just as I was about to clinch it it swung away and off into the distance.

The note in 'BB' says that there were "35 records" of Long-legged Buzzard in 2008, but is vague about whether this figure relates to the whole of Spain, Andalucia or just the Straits. My feeling, though, is that they've been reported over a wider area than previously - the increase does seem to be genuine although I still wonder how many were missed before the bird was 'on the radar'. Given the paucity of birders in the area (esp. away from the Straits) I do wonder just how many birds might be around. Judging by the rapidity with which Common Buzzards have re-established themselves in Kent, I'm hoping that Long-legged won't be rare for too much longer!
 
Hi John,

Is the ‘British Birds’ article authored by the same authors as the article in 'Quercus' i.e. by Javier Elorriaga in the case of cirtensis LLB?.

thanks
 
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