South African Buzzard (1 Viewer)

[doug_newman]

Hi all.

Any comments on this Buzzard photographed in Gauteng South Africa? It was perched on a small rock on the ground and moved from rock to rock as it was flushed. In only managed to get this pic though. The thing is Steppe (Common) Buzzards here almost never perch on the ground and I have only seen a hand full of buzzards in my life ever perch on the ground in our region. I was wondering if it was something strange....

 

[CJW]

There's not really enough in that shot to get a definitive ID Doug.
Although, I see nothing that would exclude Steppe.

 

[gerdwichers8]

Steppe Buzzard has not such pale or white morph.
You dd better watch the thread in which I strung such bird in a Long Legged, Doug
You ll find your answer there

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=78934

 

[p wolf]

Steppe Buzzard has not such pale or white morph.

edit removed obsolete link

i'm not sure what you mean Gerd, to my eyes this is not a pale morph let alone a white one? With 0 hour birding time in SA i hesitate to put a name to this bird, but all the characters that i can see in the picture seem to point to Steppe Buzzard. I'm sure that every raptor perches on the ground, at least there would be a lot of reasons for a Steppe Buzzard to do just that, such as catching large beetles.

cheers, pim

 

[jc122463]

Hi Doug,
I would have to agree with Pim and CJW here. Looks like a medium morph Steppe Buzzard but hard to be 100% from this photo. It is strange to see them on the ground, but....

Cheers,
Benji

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Allowing for the quality of the photo, the plumage seems fine for a Steppe Buzzard. The illustration is not clear enough to show the presence or absence of tail banding and other finer details, but forest buzzards should not occur in Gauteng, long-legged buzzards are vagrant at best in SA, and honey buzzards are rare. Given these facts, the most likely answer is usually the correct one. The probability is therefore high that this is a steppe buzzard.

Dave Kennedy

 

[gerdwichers8]

Hello Pim,

I took the structure of patterning in mind to the pale underbody which is far from dense. Then took the headpattering in consideration, which is not dark .

Since to the upperwing coverts this paleness is not so found I could not refer to a totally pale morph Buzzard, could I?
So that is not what I meant here. I only refered to a pale morph, with the following featherparts in mind:

What I meant is the principle that is used in Europe for acceptance of Steppe, which has to be an all dark coloured and patterned to the underside.
That is what is lacking here to the greater coverts,median coverts, the upperbreast and
head.
For sure we can see paler birds in the Middle East, but in this case I dd rather shift this to Forest Buzzard.

 

[doug_newman]

That was my feeling but knowing Long-legged Buzzards prefer perching on the ground according to the books I have read and not being familiar with LLB I thought I would put it out to those of you that are more familiar with LLB.

I must say though if you look closely there is a deffinite sign of a pale breast bar which is charachteristic of most phases of Steppe Buzzard although some Steppes do not have the pale "T" on the chest but LLB never has the pale T on the chest so if that feature in the photo is clear enough to be counted on as being there then it would have to be a Steppe Buzzard.

Thanks for the comments so far.

Cheers,
Doug

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Gerd, I quote from " Raptor Identification Guide for Southern Africa", referring to the Steppe Buzzard...........

The plumage varies from pale sandy brown to very dark brown........The underparts are extremely variable. The darkest individuals have completely dark chocolate brown underparts. Most individuals, however, have pale underparts with a varying degree of darker markings and a characteristic, more or less distinct pale band across the lower breast.

It would seem that the European plumage criteria differ from those in South Africa. It is not clear, but I think I can make out that pale breast band in the illustration, even though it the image is of relatively poor quality.

With best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

 

[gerdwichers8]

If it is summer now in Gauteng, Forest Buzzard should not occur since it is a winter visitor there?

 

[doug_newman]

I would deffinitely not go with Forest Buzzard based on the fact that although not easy to seperate from steppe, the best feature for Forest is clear median coverts forming a pure white "bar" from armpit to wrist on the underwing which is not present here and the other key feature of Forest Buzzard is that it alwasy has vertical streaking on the chest and belly which this bird seems to have.

I know there is much confusion about the buteo complex and it was mentioned that a Steppe in Europe is always a dark bird.

Attached is a pic of what we would call a typical Steppe Buzzard in South Africa just to help maybe clarify in a South African context what a Steppe Buzzard is.

One thing though, Trevopr Hardaker, a well know South African birder said on another forum that a useful feature for seperating Steppe from LLB is that in Steppe, the Greater coverts are darker than the median and lesser coverts. On this bird the greater coverts look lighter to me which would make this not a Steppe Buzzard?

Cheers,
Doug

 

[gerdwichers8]

It would seem that the European plumage criteria differ from those in South Africa. It is not clear, but I think I can make out that pale breast band in the illustration, even though it the image is of relatively poor quality.

With best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

referring to underwingcoverts and underbody,
I ve heard that in Western Europe it is not even allowed to rarities commitees if a bird is all dark as usual and has paler median coverts and paler breastband as usual but that only totally dark rufous birds (including dark median underwing coverts and dark breastband) might get accepted.
So maybe one should not follow their system in any case

 

[gerdwichers8]

Then again, this bird seems to lack the real clean median underwing covert bar, mentioned in Forest Buzzard.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e148/nkgray/LBR3.jpg

 

[Dave Kennedy]

If it is summer now in Gauteng, Forest Buzzard should not occur since it is a winter visitor there?

Forest buzzards tend to be restricted to a narrrow strip along the Eastern escarpment, and along the eastern and southern coasts. They do not normally occur in the highveld, the upland grassland in which Gauteng is situated.

Regards,
Dave Kennedy

 

[gerdwichers8]

Thanks Dave, one more question, the link I posted in post #3, does that concern a 'Steppe Buzzard' as well..

 

[p wolf]

referring to underwingcoverts and underbody,
I ve heard that in Western Europe it is not even allowed to rarities commitees if a bird is all dark as usual and has paler median coverts and paler breastband as usual but that only totally dark rufous birds (including dark median underwing coverts and dark breastband) might get accepted.
So maybe one should not follow their system in any case

if you are saying that only dark morph birds can ever be accepted in Europe, maybe, but this has nothing to do with differing criteria, just that it is nearly impossible to exclude Buteo b. buteo with all it's variations when you try to claim a Steppe Buzzard in Europe under normal "in-the-field" conditions. That does not mean that "the plumage criteria" are different in Europe.

pim

 

[gerdwichers8]

if you are saying that only dark morph birds can ever be accepted in Europe, maybe, but this has nothing to do with differing criteria, just that it is nearly impossible to exclude Buteo b. buteo with all it's variations when you try to claim a Steppe Buzzard in Europe under normal "in-the-field" conditions. That does not mean that "the plumage criteria" are different in Europe.

pim

I understand, and reckon this as a mere consequence of the following:Since migrating raptors hardly perch during the day, it'll be virtually impossible to hold on to a moving bird to scrutinize over a longer period. Only a pic could offer this kind of condition.
Unless one encounters a typical bird in any aspect it ll be hard and even harder to convince a second party.

 

[Dave Kennedy]

Thanks Dave, one more question, the link I posted in post #3, does that concern a 'Steppe Buzzard' as well..

Distinguishing features between LL and Steppe buzzard include size - but those links give no idea of comparative size - and the LL has a plain pale tail. Although this bird seems in some pics to have a pale face (an LL characteristic), the tail is NOT pale, and I think the pale breastband can be seen.

This is probably a steppe buzzard, although there is no info about location or habitat.

The LL is REALLY rare in SA. I quote again from the SA raptor book, this time about LL buzzards......

Rare non-breeding summer vagrant. The validity of most southern African records is controversial.

Regards,
Dave Kennedy

 

[gerdwichers8]

This is probably a steppe buzzard, although there is no info about location or habitat.

Regards,
Dave Kennedy

That's good to know, since for that species it shows some features I dd really like to find in Steppe; I was avoiding these in this individual, that's why I started so easily in LLB.
Ending up in Forest Buzard made sense too.