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Rough-legged Buzzard? - the Netherlands (1 Viewer)

dragnil

The glass is half full, but the bottle is empty.
United Kingdom
Seen in Zeeland, Holland on 1 February, this bird was hovering over scrubby bushes and the wing action was much more rapid than I'm accustomed to seeing in a Common Buzzard. My companion thinks it's a Rough-legged Buzzard but I don't have any recent experience of this species. I was, however, left with that very strong feeling that it wasn't right for Common Buzzard. Comments, with reasons please, gratefully accepted. Sorry for the poor quality of the images but I hope they might be good enough for a positive ID.
 

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tail pattern all wrong for juvenile or adult Rough-legged, no carpal patch visible either and much reduced dark belly to flanks all not good for RLB but all perfect for light Common
 
Thanks, Tom, I was also concerned about the tail pattern but there was still a doubt in my mind - so thanks for helping to remove it.
 
Would it be fair to say most of the light morph Common Buzzards are mostly young/juveniles which for the most part eventually moult out into classic Common Buzzard colouration?? or do some keep their light colouration? I can't say I've ever seen pictures or otherwise of breeding adults of this light colour...
 
Would it be fair to say most of the light morph Common Buzzards are mostly young/juveniles which for the most part eventually moult out into classic Common Buzzard colouration?? or do some keep their light colouration? I can't say I've ever seen pictures or otherwise of breeding adults of this light colour...
I don't know the answer for your question (and I'm not sure your assumption is correct). However, an alternative hypothesis could be that in eastern/NE populations adults have a lower tendency to migrate west/SW -wards than juvs?
 
I don't know the answer for your question (and I'm not sure your assumption is correct). However, an alternative hypothesis could be that in eastern/NE populations adults have a lower tendency to migrate west/SW -wards than juvs?

Pale juveniles remain pale their entire life.

Here a juvenile http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures/birds_user_uploads/67463_UU_62177__SOK5210.jpg

And here an 18.5 year-old adult
http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=57840

Peter
 

I was referring to the possibility that most pale Buzzards seen in Western Europe are juvs. (that was the 'assumption' I had in mind, sorry for not being clear). And perhaps Cinereous was not suggesting what I just wrote. Any data on this?
 
I was referring to the possibility that most pale Buzzards seen in Western Europe are juvs. (that was the 'assumption' I had in mind, sorry for not being clear). And perhaps Cinereous was not suggesting what I just wrote. Any data on this?


Yes, absolutely.

Juveniles are certainly endowed with a higher degree of migration instinct than the adult are, at least in Denmark and Southern Scandinavia.
Further north most individuals migrate, but adult usually don't reach as far into Southwestern Europe as the juveniles do.
 

The reason I say this is over the years I've trained and seen numerous light Buzzards in captivity which moulted out into normal Buzzard colouration.. The 18.5 year old adult pictured does look to my eyes at least like a genuine lucistic/albino.. Light morphs obviously do exist.. My point really is many of these light coloured birds do eventually moult out into normal Buzzard colouration.. I've seen it with my own eyes...
 
For me it looks like a leucistic buteo buteo, im no expert but on first sight thats what I would guess it is!
This is what makes birding fun!
 
The reason I say this is over the years I've trained and seen numerous light Buzzards in captivity which moulted out into normal Buzzard colouration.. The 18.5 year old adult pictured does look to my eyes at least like a genuine lucistic/albino.. Light morphs obviously do exist.. My point really is many of these light coloured birds do eventually moult out into normal Buzzard colouration.. I've seen it with my own eyes...

Yes, many pale juveniles become darker at adult age, I've seen that too.
 
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