Oriental Honey Buzzard? (Singapore) (1 Viewer)

[lowressgbirding]

Hi,

Is this the Oriental Honey Buzzard, or is there a chance that it is the Crested Serpent Eagle, which has been observed in the area recently too (and suggested by Merlin)?

How do I tell them apart based on the wing patterns?

Thank you!

 

[andyb39]

Oriental Honey Buzzard - small pigeon-like head, weak bill and tail pattern.

 

[lowressgbirding]

Oriental Honey Buzzard - small pigeon-like head, weak bill and tail pattern.

Thanks Andy!

 

[Butty]

Tail-pattern is actually very like some crested serpent eagles. And the small-looking head is (very) plausibly an artefact of the photo's fuzziness - and the bill is quite obviously reduced to almost nothing by such artefactual effects. So I fear that you will need other features to identify this bird.