Honey Buzzard wing-clapping: a misnomer? (1 Viewer)

[Biancone]

Finally managed to catch several decent sequences of Honey Buzzard display (late May-early June, northern Apennines, Italy) and I'm wondering why so many sources call it "wing-clapping"?

The birds I saw would do something like a Common Buzzard 'roller-coaster' (once with ten peaks!!) but with a pause, perhaps just under one second, at each peak. At this point the wings were extended near vertically above the back and 'quivered' four or five times. In front view it was clear that there was no contact between the wings. There was certainly no sound. So why is the display typically called 'wing-clapping'? Can anyone tell me if actual 'clapping', with audible contact, has been recorded anywhere?

Just for fun, couple of sketches attached.

 

[stevo]

Its a mystery to me as well its more of a trembling of the wing tips some call it the butterfly display,they can also do this display whilst carrying wasp larvae!! i`ve seen them do it.

Steve.

 

[dbradnum]

Agreed, 'butterflying' is a reasonable description of the wing-quivering display - not really clapping at all. At the usual Norfolk sites, birds that cause excitement amongst birders while they're 'roller-coastering' (without the raised wing fluttering) are almost inevitably Common Buzzard.

 

[dantheman]

Maybe its called wing clapping because it's pretty reminiscent (?) of the much commoner woodpigeons display, which does involve audible sound.

 

[Tideliner]

The honey buzzards I watch usually gain a fair height , go into a slow shallow stoop dropping a short distance before pulling up , almost stalling and "wing clap" or perhaps as others have described better known as a butterfly display or sky dance. They do not clap their wings. If the male is really worked up this may go on for 80-90 bouts of sky dancing lasting 1\2 an hour or more. There rare occasions when a male will hover at tree top height and sky dance display when a female is sitting in a tree top below him. The female will also sky dance , but never with the intensity of the male and I have yet to see a female do more than 4 "sky dancing " sessions.

Though many inexperienced birders do mistake the display of common and honey buzzard there is really no excuse and the steep " role a coaster " of the common buzzard is nothing like a honey buzzard display

 

[Biancone]

Many thanks all for the feedback. I think I see how the name started but just seems wrong to use it if there's no actual "clapping" - hence my question. Susrprised that even the recent TSO book on raptor monitoring uses it. Anyway "buttefly display" is a far better and more accurate name, so I'm sticking with that from now on! They certainly look rather like a giant butterfly while doing it.