Alternative name: Crested Honey Buzzard
Includes: Sunda Honeybuzzard
- Pernis ptilorhynchus
Identification
52–68 cm (20½-26¾ in)
The male has a blue-grey head, while the female's head is brown. She is slightly larger and darker than the male. The male has a black tail with a white band, whilst the female resembles female European Honey Buzzard.
Similar Species
Not easy to distinguish from European Honey Buzzard, which overlap in the Middle East[1].
Distribution
Siberia east to Japan and south to Indonesia and The Philippines. Northern populations are migratory
Taxonomy
Considered conspecific with European Honey Buzzard by some authors.
Reference [4] notes that differences in DNA and morphology support a split into 2 species: "Oriental Honeybuzzard" (strict sense), P. orientalis, from subspecies orientalis, philippensis and ruficollis; and "Sunda Honeybuzzard", P. ptilorhynchus from palawanensis, ptilorhynchus and torquatus.
Subspecies
Clements recognises the following subspecies [1]:
- P. p. orientalis: "Oriental Honeybuzzard". South Siberia to Manchuria and Japan; winters to Greater Sundas
- P. p. ruficollis: "Oriental Honeybuzzard". India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar and extreme south west China
- P. p. philippensis: "Oriental Honeybuzzard". North and east Philippine Islands
- P. p. palawanensis: "Sunda Honeybuzzard". South Philippines (Palawan and Calauit)
- P. p. torquatus: "Sunda Honeybuzzard". Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo
- P. p. ptilorhynchus: "Sunda Honeybuzzard" Java
Habitat
A variety of woodland, with a preference for broadleafed trees.
Behaviour
Diet
It is a specialist feeder, living mainly on the larvae and nests of wasps, although it will take other small prey.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Jan 2018)
- Birdforum thread discussing separating this species from Eurasian Honey Buzzard
- Eaton, JA, B van Balen, NW Brickle, FE Rheindt 2021. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago (Greater Sundas and Wallacea), Second Edition. Lynx Editions. ISBN978-84-16728-44-2
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
