Bird of Prey ID: Northern Spain (1 Viewer)

[sohambirder]

Be grateful if anyone can identify this bird of prey seen while walking in Northern Spain during the last week of May. Not the best of pictures I'm afraid!
Many thanks.

 

[Ighalo is amazing]

Common buzzard

 

[Nutcracker]

Ditto to Common Buzzard

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Tail looks awfully long, and head looks quite slender, could this be Honey Buzzard? Never seen one perched up so really unsure, and the overall slender look could just be down the it being sleeked down on a hot day. Any thoughts?

 

[Simon Wates]

Worn 2nd cal yr Bonelli's? (or CB as stated - tail barring not good for Honey).

 

[RecoveringScot]

Looks more like Bonelli's in the head and bill area than CB to me, and taill a bit long too. A check of Forsman (1999) lends weight to that ID.

Cheers

 

[Simon Wates]

Perched raptors can be notoriously tricky in the field - never mind a distant photo. No other photos - in flight for eg?

 

[tconzemi]

Common Buzzard imo
wingtips almost reaching tail (which is longer in juvenile birds, so this may be a second cal.year bird), in Bonelli's Eagle tail projection should be even longer

 

[Hotspur]

Just for comparison here is a perched juv Bonelli's I had last year. Much longer tail.

 

[dantheman]

Common Buzzard imo
wingtips almost reaching tail (which is longer in juvenile birds, so this may be a second cal.year bird), in Bonelli's Eagle tail projection should be even longer

Tail looks much longer than primaries for me. (Long rounded end, 7 bars + faded? dark tip).

It could just be the way it's holding it's wings, and the foreshortening effect may contribute. How much longer should tail be in juv Buzzard be? (I suppose images of perched birds to compare would be useful.)


(That mottled grey on wings/mantle looks nice for Bonelli's too of course, but C Buzzards are of course very variable ..)

 

[fdokykcu]

Can you narrow down a little bit "Northern Spain"? Distribution could also help as Bonelli's are absent or rare in many areas from that huge part of the country, while Common Buzzard are present everywhere in it.

Be grateful if anyone can identify this bird of prey seen while walking in Northern Spain during the last week of May. Not the best of pictures I'm afraid!
Many thanks.

 

[FalconBirder]

Structure, proportions and plumage all point clearly to Common Buzzard. The environs and choice of perch are helpful too.