Buzzard ID? (1 Viewer)

[Tragopania]

It was photographed three years back at Haripur, Pakistan. Could it be an Upland Buzzard (dark morph) or a Long-legged Buzzard (dark morph)? Or anything else?

 

[goawildlifeenthusiast]

well from the book I have, I would say common buzzard dark morph because of the eye. the common buzzard has a nearly black eye, while the upland and long legged have orangish or a yellow eye.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

well from the book I have ... the common buzzard has a nearly black eye, while the upland and long legged have orangish or a yellow eye.

Iris colour changes with age - LLB adults have a dark iris just like adult vulpinus. Upland Buzzard has feathered tarsi - at least to the extend I think we would see here.

This strikes me as a having a comparatively short-winged/short-tailed/short-necked appearance more like a vulpinus however the plumage of dark morph Steppe Buzzard looks almost identical to a rufinus, I’m not sure how one could really separate them on these views.

 

[andyb39]

It's not Upland, which is bulky and has feathered tarsi. The tail is barred, so it could be a dark Steppe Buzzard, but I'm not sure we can rule out Himalayan if it occurs here. I'm not sure it looks heavy-billed enough for Long-legged.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

It's not Upland, which is bulky and has feathered tarsi. The tail is barred, so it could be a dark Steppe Buzzard, but I'm not sure we can rule out Himalayan if it occurs here. I'm not sure it looks heavy-billed enough for Long-legged.

LLB also can have finely barred outer retrices (which I think is all we can really see) - however, structurally as I said, it looks better for Steppe Buzzard. Himalayan I think, structure wise, lies somewhere between the two but is still quite a compact buteo and unfortunately the dark morph Himalayan is again, very difficult to separate on plumage alone. These Central Asian buteos really are a nightmare, especially when the ranges are not fully understood.

 

[Tragopania]

It's not Upland, which is bulky and has feathered tarsi. The tail is barred, so it could be a dark Steppe Buzzard, but I'm not sure we can rule out Himalayan if it occurs here. I'm not sure it looks heavy-billed enough for Long-legged.

Yes, Himalayan do occur in that area as per distribution map.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

This is rather fun (if you ignore the music) - Note, although seen briefly, the dark morph Himalayan has a face like a Long-legged Buzzard, snouty and a little eagle-like not really like our OP imo. The outer retrices, at least on the individual in the video, look strongly barred unlike the finer barring on the OP (if that’s any help?)

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Perhaps this will get some attention/confirmation from someone with with more experience. I am sure I will be put to right if this is not a Steppe.

 

[gerdwichers8]

I am stuck just the same way like you. The wide band to the wing might have favoured Steppe on top of the general built but I would only trust a reallive situation from my point of view. Palearctic buzzards are so close to one another.

 

[Andy Hurley]

This is rather fun

Thanks for the media link Deb. It is always good to see more than just a still photo of a set of birds like this

 

[tconzemi]

This is rather fun (if you ignore the music)

Himalaya Buzzard (No 4) somehow looks like a Black Kite

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Himalaya Buzzard (No 4) somehow looks like a Black Kite

That’s because it is a Black Kite Tom - I think you are quite right. The still photo at the beginning of the Himalayan B sequence is not the same bird. (Auto-suggestion? 😁)

Note (which you probably already did), the distinctive pale tips to the upperwing coverts, long snouty face (which I noted but didn’t connect the dots!) with distinctive yellow bill base and clearly defined long black nail, long tail/wings ....

and finally when I replayed and froze the frame



... a forked tail