Mountain Buzzard
Buteo oreophilus
Medium-sized brown raptor of montane habitats. Shows thick dark brown streaking on the underparts. In flight, the underside of the wing is streaked brown at the front and solidly white at the back, with a rim of black. Found in mountain forest and adjacent open habitats. Often soars. The call is a piercing whistle. Very similar to the migratory Common Buzzard, but never shows red in the tail, and always has a pattern of heavy dark brown streaks below.
Identification
A small buzzard and quite similar to the steppe buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus, the migratory subspecies of the Palearctic common buzzard which winters over most of Africa. The adult has brown upperparts with paler underparts with heavy brown blotches on the breast, belly, flanks and underwing coverts. The underside of the flight feathers is barred with a distinct black band along the rear edge of the wing. The tail is brown above, light grey below and shows faint narrow bars which are broadest just before the tail tip. Juveniles are buffier below and less heavily marked than the adults.
Taxonomy
The mountain buzzard and the forest buzzard are said to form a superspecies with the common buzzard and the Madagascar buzzard Buteo brachypterus, and may be also with the red-tailed hawk Buteo jamaicensis of North and South America and the rufous-tailed hawk Buteo ventralis of southern South America. The mountain buzzard has been classified as a subspecies of common buzzard, then split as a single species with the forest buzzard but nor these two are regarded as separate species.
- Scientific name
- Buteo oreophilus
- Authority
- Hartert, EJO & Neumann, 1914
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Buteo
Range and habitat
The mountain buzzard occurs in the mountainous regions of eastern Africa from Ethiopia, west through Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo then south into Tanzania, Burundi and Malawi. This species occurs in montane forest and fragments of montane forest, including plantations of exotic trees such as eucalyptus. In the southern part of its range, i.e. Malawi, it is restricted to montane rainforest and does not hunt in open habitats outside the forest.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Ramphastos sulfuratus
Large unmistakable toucan with a huge, rainbow-colored bill. Often seen in pairs, but not usually in groups like aracaris. Flies with a few flaps followed by a swooping glide, sometimes high over the forest canopy, and looks like a ‘flying banana.’ Heard more often than seen: ‘song’ is a far-carrying, frog-like croak, repeated steadily. Despite its large size and bright colors, can be difficult to see in leafy canopy, where it moves deliberately in search of food.
Flame-throated Warbler
Oreothlypis gutturalis
Stunning warbler with bright orange throat, otherwise gray with black back. Sexes alike, juveniles duller. Small and active, found in montane forests and edges. Often in pairs, frequently following a mixed feeding flock. Song is a strange buzz.
Red-tailed Tropicbird
Phaethon rubricauda
A medium-sized, mostly white seabird with a red beak. The long red tail streamers can be difficult to see at a distance. Rarely seen inland. At sea usually flies high above the water. Pairs and groups perform backward-wheeling courtship displays while giving loud squawks. Larger and heavier-bodied than White-tailed Tropicbird.
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