Eastern Buzzard

This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Buteo japonicus

Malay Name: Helang-Gempal Biasa

Chinese Name: 普通鵟

Range: Breeds in eastern Siberia through Sakhalin to Hokkaido, winters south to continental southeast Asia. Resident in Japan with endemic taxa in the Izu and Bonin islands, as well as the Daito Islands.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: burmanicus, japonicus, toyoshimai, oshiroi.

Size: 51-57 cm

Identification: Buteo buzzards have a roundish body and in flight, is disitnct with roung wings and a proportionally short tail. In Singapore very difficult to distinguish from the Common Buzzard, but Buteo buzzards with primarily white base colour on the underparts with strongly contrasting black carpal patch are thought to be of this species.

Similar looking species: Crested Honey Buzzard, Jerdon's Baza, Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Common Buzzard

Habitat: Open country.

Behaviour/Ecology: Taxonomy of the Buteo buzzards very confused, with various authors treating this and the Common Buzzard differently. Usually found in open country, though not very frequently observed wintering in Singapore. When hunting, it has a habit of soaring against the wind and staying completely stationary in the air, looking downwards to search for its prey. This behaviour however is almost never observed in Singapore due to the lack of suitable habitats.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2021)

Location: Observed migrating across key raptor watch sites. Sometimes winter at open country sites such as Holland Plains, Marina East.

Featured articles:

Featured reports: Nov 2022, Mar 2023

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2013 to Jun 2023
Peak weeks Nov 05-Nov 11, Nov 19-Nov 25
Early date 09 Oct 2016
Late date 11 Apr 2000
We're currently trying to figure out the relative abundance of the two Buteos recorded in Singapore (Common and Eastern). Look out for them in Oct and Nov, and do share your pictures online!
Eastern Buzzard at Changi. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Eastern Buzzard at Changi. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Eastern Buzzard)

References:

BirdLife International. (2021). Buteo japonicus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22732232A200958179.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

del Hoyo, J., Collar, N., Marks, J. S. & Kirwan, G. M. (2020). Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds). Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.combuz6.01

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Eastern Buzzard. Retrieved on September 29, 2023 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/eastern-buzzard.

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