Buzzards, Tanzania (1 Viewer)

[ekopa]

Hello!

Please correct me if I am wrong in these indentifications
1-3 Steppe Buzzard
4 Mountain Buzzard
All photographed in West Usambaras mountains of North-East Tanzania in December

Thanks

 

[tconzemi]

Agree with 1-3
I'm afraid 4 is a Steppe Buzzard too
Mountain Buzzard is more blotched than barred on white ground colour, also more stocky with shorter wings and tail in adults

 

[ekopa]

Thank you, Tom
If #4 is not a Mountain Buzzard, it's more like a Common Buzzard to me. Should not be there probably with some vulpinus genes

 

[Deb Burhinus]

If #4 is not a Mountain Buzzard, it's more like a Common Buzzard to me. Should not be there probably with some vulpinus genes

Ekopa, Steppe Buzzard is Buteo buteo vulpinus, or is this not what you meant?

 

[tconzemi]

Thank you, Tom
If #4 is not a Mountain Buzzard, it's more like a Common Buzzard to me. Should not be there probably with some vulpinus genes

Hi Ekopa
Steppe Buzzard is very variable and four 'morphs' are recognized: the fox-red (best known and shown in your pictures 1-3), the grey, the dark rufous and the black with many intergrades between the morphs, some looking like classic nominate B.b.buteo. The fact alone it is a trans-equatorial migrant is enough to ID it as pure Steppe

 

[Butty]

Mountain Buzzard is more blotched than barred on white ground colour

On underbody, or where?
Good to see any description of this species. I've never known how one identifies it other than location/habitat/probability.

 

[tconzemi]

On underbody, or where?
Good to see any description of this species. I've never known how one identifies it other than location/habitat/probability.

Hi Butty
Yes underparts
a few great pictures here http://www.tanzaniabirds.net/African_birds/buzzard_mountain/buzzardmountain.htm
main ID criteria are:

• silhouette: stocky Buzzard with broad wings and short tail typical of sedentary birds of prey contra long-winged in long distance migrant
• pure white ground colour and no orange tinge or tawny in brown tones
• underparts blotchy and only barred on undertail coverts, some show a white breast band as in Common Buzzard

Nice description and pics also in 'African Raptors' by Bill Clark & Rob Davies

 

[ekopa]

Ekopa, Steppe Buzzard is Buteo buteo vulpinus, or is this not what you meant?

Some B.b.buteo cross into Africa, D.Forsman hypothesized that they have partial b.b.vulpinus ancestry. As Tom points out, highly unlikely for trans-equatorial migrants

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Some B.b.buteo cross into Africa, D.Forsman hypothesized that they have partial b.b.vulpinus ancestry. As Tom points out, highly unlikely for trans-equatorial migrants

No worries, I didn’t understand the wording of your question and agree with Tom.