General

General

Two quite similar species of genus Pernis occur in mainland Eurasia. These two replace each other geographically. The western species, European Honey-buzzard is a long distance migrant which winters in tropical Africa. Oriental Honey-buzzard is a polytypic species. Those breeding in the temperate areas are also long distance migrants wintering in the tropics, but the more southern subspecies are resident. Honey-buzzards are largish, long winged raptors somewhat resembling Buteo buzzards, with which they are not very closely related, however. Both species are quite common and breed in forests, hunting small prey and specialising in honey combs. On migration, large numbers of birds gather at some bottleneck sites.

Distribution

Breeds from central and northern Europe through Central Asia and Siberia to the Pacific shores. Many winter in Africa, but also on the Indian SC and in SE Asia. Passage visitor in most other areas.

Life cycle

Summer breeder. Flight feather moult spans over most of the year, but suspends during migration.

General

A distinctive large raptor often seen fishing by hovering over water. Easy to distinguish from other species by long, narrowish wings, short square tail and much white on the underparts. Dark breast-band and large, dark carpal patches and greater coverts contrasting with white median and lesser underwing-coverts are also visible from afar. The undersides of the secondaries dark, and there is a large paler area on the underside of the primaries. Has a white head with a narrow black area from the bill through the eye towards the rear, unlike in most other raptors. Soars with angled wings like a gull. Has some resemblance to Black Kite from very far away, but with a much shorter tail and white colour visible from several kms.

Adult

Always shows feathers of several generations, this is easier to see on the upperparts: some of the upperwing-coverts are paler brownish and worn, others are darker, almost blackish. However, the general impression of the upperwing from afar is quite uniform darkish. Secondaries are darker and less distinctly barred than in juveniles. Females have a more distinct and extensive breast band, larger dark carpal patches and more patterned underparts overall.

First-year

Feathers of only one generation, with the wings showing a smooth trailing edge. Upperparts are strongly scaled when fresh, and on the inner wing-coverts these coalesce to form a pale patch, which can be seen from afar. The primary moult starts early, during the first winter, and the scaly pattern of the remaining juvenile feathers wears off, making ageing more difficult.

Subadult

Has a succession of similar plumages, and is difficult to age in the field. Also, moulting seasons are long and the birds may be moulting at almost any time of the year. Immaturity is possible to see when at least some of the secondaries are still juvenile, with uniform, narrow barring from base to tip. Adult feathers have uniform, darkish tips with only the bases barred.

Distribution

Breeds patchily on the southern Indian SC, in eastern Himalaya and SE Asia. Mostly sedentary, but some migration in the Thai-Malay peninsula.

Life cycle

Summer breeder, moults during summer.

General

A long-tailed, broad-winged, slim-bodied and generally pale raptor. Can be confused with several other species including Crested Goshawk, Wallace's Hawk Eagle and Oriental Honey Buzzard. Superficially similar to Oriental Honey-buzzard, but smaller and slimmer with a proportionally larger head. The hand is very broad, with the wings seeming to become narrower towards the body (the hand of Oriental Honey-buzzard seems to be narrower than arm).

Adult

Longish black crest, but this is seldom visible in flight. Proportionally large, orange or reddish eye. Clear-cut blackish mesial stripe (unlike Oriental Honey-buzzard, which has a dark 'necklace' instead), in many males the upper breast is uniformly brownish-grey (less uniform in Oriental Honey-buzzard or Wallace's Hawk Eagle), underbody regularly and sparsely barred reddish-brown and whitish (more restricted barring in Oriental Honey-buzzard). Reddish-brown streaking also on the underwing-coverts (more distinct barring in most Oriental Honey-buzzard). Secondaries show a broadish, black terminal band and a less distinct internal bar, while the inner part of the wing - the bases of the wing feathers - shows a quite uniform pale area (Oriental Honey-buzzard has a similar terminal band, but in addition to that, other, internal band(s), almost as dark). Females are similar to males, but show less orange, more yellow eyes, with the throat more streaked, and head and breast more brownish and less greyish.

First-year

Similar to adult and separated from other species the same way. Iris is yellow (not orange as in adult), shorter crest, neck streaked or even spotted, mid-belly streaked or spotted (uniformly barred in adult), and only flanks truly barred. Secondaries evenly barred with the outer band only marginally the blackest of about three bands (in adult broad blackish terminal band and less distinct much greyer internal bars).

Distribution

Breeds in Western Ghats, eastern Himalaya, most of SE Asia and parts of southern China. Partly resident, but many are migrants, with spectacular migration on Thai-Malay peninsula. Those birds winter in Sumatra and southern parts of the Thai-Malay peninsula.

Life cycle

Summer breeder, with fledged juveniles in July-August. Moults during the summer.

General

A distinctive raptor. Small, mostly black with contrasting white areas and long crest. Compact, large-headed, long-winged. Soars with flat, paddle-shaped wings, when gliding the carpal is very protruding. On migration typically in dense flocks.

Adult

Blackish head, white semi-collar below it, and bold, black and chestnut barring on white background on underparts. Males have less bars which are concentrated at the front, females are more evenly barred. Primaries grey underneath, with the rest of the wing mostly blackish. Mostly black upperparts, with some largish white areas on back and inner wing. Males white also on the secondaries and extensive purplish areas on the upper side of the remiges, in females the purplish areas are less extensive lacking white on the secondaries.

First-year

Juveniles resemble adults, but show a brown tinge on the head and upperparts. Sexual differences are already developed and males have, for example, white on the outer web of the secondaries. By the autumn migration, the body feathers have already been replaced and first-year birds are quite similar to adults, and similarly easy to identify to species, but difficult to age. First-years have somewhat narrower rectrices and even the trailing edge of the wing (adults often show some uneveness on the secondaries).

Distribution

Rather common and widespread species breeding on the Indian SC, in the Himalayas, South-East Asia, the Chinese mountains and S China and also in Japan, NE China and Siberia, where migratory.

Geographical variation

The subspecies ruficollis is resident or partly migratory on most of the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Himalaya and SE Asia. The subspecies torquatus is resident on the Thai-Malay peninsula. The subspecies orientalis is a summer visitor to Japan, NE China and S Siberia, and winters among the resident honey-buzzards of the southern subspecies in southern SE Asia with the majority extralimitally on the Sundaic islands. It occurs as a passage migrant between the breeding areas and the wintering grounds.

Ssp. torquatus is quite similar to ruficollis, but has a longer crest, and slightly more richly-coloured and darker plumage. Male torquatus have a yellowish iris, as do females of all subspecies. Female torquatus have broad bands on the tail, not unlike the males, but with less contrast, while in other subspecies female and male tails are rather different in pattern, although in ruficollis the female pattern is somewhat variable and may approach the male pattern. Northern migratory orientalis is large with longer wings and tail than the resident subspecies, especially compared to torquatus, and also with proportionally smaller and a more protruding head, with only a small crest, overall palish, normally not uniformly rufous, and the majority of individuals show a black gorget between the pale throat and upper breast (most individuals of other ssp lack the black gorget, but some show it). Especially the males of orientalis have much grey on the head (less brownish) and both head and neck are at most brownish, not rufous. Because of much individual variation in plumage colours, subspecific identification of Oriental Honey-buzzards is far from straightforward.

Unknown chapter type

Differences between the subspecies.

Life cycle

The northern subspecies orientalis is a summer breeder and long-distance migrant. Adult birds start wing-feather moult on the breeding grounds and suspend or slow it down for the migration, completing it in the wintering areas. The moult is finished or almost so when they start the spring migration. First-year birds start later, not before the spring of their second calendar-year, and on spring migration in March in SE Asia most have not yet started. In India, ruficollis is a monsoon breeder and the young fledge around May in the south, and in late August to early September in the north. Adults moult from May or June onwards, they do not normally suspend and most are ready by December. Peninsular torquatus also starts breeding during the northern spring and the moult is similar to ruficollis.

General

Also called Crested Honey Buzzard. Often seen both perching and in flight. Largish, broad-winged raptor with small head and bill, and short legs. Similar and confusable with Buteo buzzards and also Nisaetus hawk eagles. In Western Asia, confusion with European Honey-buzzard is likely, see that species. Oriental Honey-buzzard is common and often seen, yet very variable and therefore often confusing. Upperparts of Oriental Honey-buzzard are quite uniform brownish, but the head and underparts vary very much. Some are almost uniform blackish-brown, others with a variable extent of pale barring. The underparts may be mostly pale with a very variable extent of rufous barring. Especially paler individuals of subspecies ruficollis may be quite strongly streaked on the breast.

Adult male

The cere is bluish in adults (vs. yellow in young birds). The eyes are darkish orange, in some it looks almost black in the field (yellow in adult females) , but in torquatus also males have a yellowish iris. Males of especially orientalis have a greyish head (females have a rather brown head, but it is often greyish around the eye). Males have a clear-cut black trailing edge to the wing and black primary tips, and two to three black, relatively broad and clear-cut black bands on the remiges basally (females have less distinct and less intensely black tips to the remiges, and two or three narrow but distinct bands traversing the underside of the remiges area, and these are quite evenly spaced). Males have a broad black terminal band on the tail and a broad pale central band, followed by a broad black band and variable pale band basally, the last of which is usually hidden by the undertail-coverts on a closed tail. (Females have a narrower black terminal band and two narrow black bands close to the each other basally.) In males the black trailing edge and a black basal band are also visible on the upperparts.

Adult female

Females have a generally quite brown head, but often greyish around the eye, if the head is not too pale or too dark. It has less distinct and less intensely black tips to the remiges, and two or three quite evenly spaced and narrow but distinct bands traversing the underside of the remiges area. Some females have the ground colour of the secondaries somewhat darker than on the primaries, resembling juveniles in this respect. Orientalis females have a narrower black terminal band and two narrow black bands close to the each other basally on the tail, in other subspecies, especially torquatus, the female tail is much closer to the male type. Females also show a paler area at the base of the primaries from above. The eyes are bright yellow (darkish orange in males, except in torquatus).

Adult female comparison

Oriental Honey-buzzard is often confused with several other species. None of these is a real challenge, but may be difficult in less than good views.

First-year

Narrower-winged than adult which makes overall jizz somewhat different and potentially confusing. The cere is yellow (unlike in adult) until about one year of age. Otherwise juveniles are not always easy to distinguish from adult females. Flight-feathers are narrowly banded overall with about four evenly spaced bars (2-3 bars in adult females, with the outermost intervening pale area the broadest), two narrow bars on the tail placed centrally, with dense greyish barring on the intervening area (adult female with two bars closer to the base and less distinct greyish barring), and many show no black tips to secondaries at all. Typically the fingers are dark, almost uniform blackish (in adults the primary tip pattern looks similar to the secondary tip pattern). Underparts are as variable as in adult, but the black gorget is normally less developed.

First-year comparison

First-year honey-buzzards have less characteristic colour patterns than adults and are confusable to a wide array of other raptors. Here they are compared with hawk-eagles and buteos. Juveniles of the latter two may resemble honey-buzzards in colouration, but for example tail patterns differ. Confusion with young pale morph Crested Serpent-eagle is also possible. Oriental Honey-buzzard is longer-winged and smaller-headed than the similarly sized Northern Goshawk, and with very different, slower movements. Compared to any Aquila/Clanga eagle, colour differences should be evident, for example, with large pale areas on the remiges.

Subadult

The second plumage is similar to that of the adult and there are no real subadult plumages. But ageing is possible during the extended period of the first moult.

Distribution

Breeds in most of Europe (except the northernmost parts and only patchily in the west and south), east to Western Siberia to the Altai mountains. Long-distance migrant, wintering in the Afrotropics.

Life cycle

Summer breeder and long distance migrant. The moults starts in summer, proceed up to the fourth innermost primary and suspends for autumn migration. Most of the moult occurs in the tropics. Second calendar-year birds remain in their wintering quarters, and are therefore very rarely seen in Europe.

General

The western counterpart of Oriental Honey-buzzard. They are closely related and hybridise where the breeding ranges meet. Quite a common species, which breeds in forests but not often seen perching.
Most similar to Oriental Honey-buzzard. They mainly occur in separate areas, but Oriental occurs sometimes in the European Honey-buzzard areas in Western Asia. Relatively small bill, head and legs, but large wings and tail with long, slender body are shared by both honey-buzzards, as is the very variable plumage colour. Smaller and slimmer than Oriental, with narrower wings, longer tail and, importantly, shorter fifth innermost primary, which protrudes only slightly (it is a distinct finger in Oriental). Lacks the dark gorget of Oriental and shows no crest at all. See more differences in separate plumage descriptions.
In Europe, Common Buzzard is the main confusion species, and from a distance they may appear quite similar, especially juveniles of both. Honey-buzzards soar with flat wings (Buteos hold wings in shallow V, but the difference may be slight in many wind conditions), have smaller head and longer tail, although the latter difference is small when comparing juveniles, and wing beats are slower and steadier. Wind conditions affect wing usage, which should be taken into account. See more differences in first-year birds chapter.
PITFALLS: There are regular records of apparent hybrids between European and Oriental Honey-buzzards from Central Asia, the Caucasus and Arabia, and this makes species identification considerably more difficult. Hybrids show mixed characters, especially in wing banding, structure and carpal patch.

Adult male

SPECIES: The carpal area is blackish and forms a distinct and large carpal patch (in Oriental, there is only a very small clear-cut black patch on the leading edge while the rest of the carpal area is similar in colour to the secondary coverts). The bases of the outer primaries are typically unpatterned (most Oriental show two or three dark bands continuing to the outermost primary). The outermost of the inner bars typically continues to the secondaries (in Oriental there is an additional short bar on the primaries ending before the innermost primary). The dark bar on the secondaries does not reach the body (in Oriental it reaches close to the body, as the bar is closer to the trailing edge of the wing). The bands on the tail are narrower and less prominent than in Oriental, three bands are more often visible, and the central pale bar is less contrasting. The eyes are yellow (dark in the migrant Oriental subspecies).

Adult male comparison

The two species of Honey-buzzards are easiest to separate in adult male plumage.

Adult female

SEX: Brownish head (grey in male), the dark tips of primaries and secondaries are less clear cut, this difference is visible on both upper- and underparts. Inner bands on wing-feathers are less clear-cut and more evenly placed than in male, and continue closer to the body. Most individuals can be sexed, but some difficult cases occur.

SPECIES: Differs from Oriental Honey-buzzards much as the male does, but wing and tail barring differs between the sexes. In adult female European Honey-buzzard the innermost bars are generally closer to the base, forming regular rows, somewhat broader and more distinct while the bases of the outer primaries are normally unbarred, contrasting with blackish areas on the greater under primary coverts (in adult female Oriental Honey-buzzard, there are more and less regular rows of bars which are more evenly placed and therefore the whole wing-feathers area seems to be barred).

Adult female comparison

Hybridisation have to be taken into account when identifying Honey-buzzards outside their core distribution areas.

First-year

Very variable in colour, with a body plumage varying from almost completely white to almost wholly black. Most are uniformly brownish and quite dark, some even blackish, with some kind of a pale pattern on many. A sizable minority show large whitish areas, for example on the head, but may also have mostly whitish underparts. Pale birds often show variable black streaks. If the head is pale there is often a black mask through the eye.
AGE: Fresh, uniform plumage with narrow whitish trailing edge. Darkish fingers (in adults dark on tip only, but some females are close to juveniles), three dark bands on the secondaries and tail with even distances between them and greyish bar-like patterns in between (one or two bars in adults, close to the coverts and further away from the dark trailing edge), Dark eyes (yellow in adult), yellow cere (bluish in adult).

SPECIES: In comparison with Oriental Honey-buzzard, the plumage of first year birds is more similar than in adults and also more variable with much overlap, and therefore the structural differences are even more important. If the dark carpal patch area is present, then the bird is a European Honey-buzzard, but many young European lack a large patch and resemble Oriental Honey-buzzard in this respect (in Oriental, there is typically a very small, well defined dark patch on the patagial coverts) The greater under primary coverts are darker in European, and the bases of the outer secondaries are less barred, the secondary barring is on average slightly broader and sparser with the pale and dark bars of fairly even width (often very narrow dark bars and very broad intervening pale bars in Oriental), and the dark gorget is missing, although some young European may show something which vaguely resembles a gorget (vs a distinct gorget in many young Oriental). The tail bars are narrower and less clear cut in European. The sixth outermost primary is shorter and protruding very little.

In comparison with Common Buzzard: no breast band or similar patterns, greater under coverts paler than the other coverts (in Buteos, the median coverts are the palest), more contrastingly dark secondaries compared to paler primaries underneath, pale uppertail-coverts (uniform with back in Buteos), blackish eye (greyish in juvenile Buteos).

First-year comparison

The two species of Honey-buzzards are quite similar looking and also resemble each other ecologically and in behaviour.

Distribution

Sedentary in Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia, uncommon.

Life cycle

Life-cycle is imperfectly known. Breeds mostly during the northern autumn, and seems to moult mainly before that time.

General

Dark, long-winged and short-tailed hawk, with pointed wings almost resembling a falcon. Has long crest. Most often flies at dusk, and also can be seen perched during the day. Peregrine is the only confusion species, with often similar type of flight and shape. However, tail of Bat Hawk is somewhat shorter, wing tip is less pointed and flight slightly softer. Wing-bend angle very pointed and secondaries also pointed making the trailing edge of the wing saw-like. Hunts bats in active level flight with lots of twists and turns.

Adult

Mostly blackish, with a crest and white area on throat and upper breast, looks just black in many practical situations in the field. Distinct pale yellow eye made even more distinct by whitish eye-ring.

First-year

With larger whitish area underneath than in adult, and some blotching.

Distribution

Parts of southern Europe and the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and South-East Asia. Mostly sedentary.

Geographical variation

The nominate caeruleus occurs in SW Europe and SW Arabia, and in Africa. Vociferus in most of the Asian range, including the Middle East. The nominate has all grey secondaries with similar colour to underwing-coverts. In vociferus the bases of secondaries are darker, in the outermost feathers coloured almost like the primaries.

Life cycle

Both in the Indian Subcontinent and in Thai-Malay Peninsula breeding occurs year round, less so in the more northen areas. Moult is somewhat synchronised with breeding and also occurs year round, but mostly during the summer. Young birds start to moult body feathers quite soon after fledging and remiges well before they are one year old.

General

A small, distinctive raptor. Often seen perching at high places or hovering over open areas. Short, square tail, long pointed wings combined to unique, contrasty colouration and graceful flight-style make this species easy to identify.

Adult

Unique combination of colours and patterns. Almost white head and black eyebrow. Very pale, almost whitish underbody and underwing-coverts. Under primaries mostly blackish. Contrasting black areas on upperwing-coverts. Pale, unbarred tail. Red iris.

First-year

In juvenile plumage brownish crown with some streaking. Upperpart with brownish tinge and the feathers with contrasting white tips. Some brownish on breast and neck. Also greater covert and primary tips contrastingly white. Much duller eye than in adult. The first moult starts soon after fledging and when it is ready, indistinguishable from adult.