Oriental honey-buzzard

Oriental Honey-buzzard
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Accipitridae
Sub-family	Perninae
Genus Information
Genus	Pernis
Species Information
Species	P. ptilorhynchus
Population statistics
Population	1,000,000 (2016 est.)
Conservation status	Least concern

The oriental or crested honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) is a bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found throughout much of southern and eastern Asia.

Description

The oriental honey-buzzard measures 20.5 to 26.7 inches in length, has a wingspan of 51.3 to 59.2 inches, and weighs 26.4 to 52.9 ounces. Females are larger than males. It has no supraorbital ridge over the eye, making the head similar in appearance to that of a pigeon. The small head, the long neck and the long tail with rounded corners are characteristic of the bird in flight. Compared to the European honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the oriental honey-buzzard has the widest wing, the shorter tail and is devoid of the dark carpal spot in the underwing. A short crest is rarely seen. In posed individuals, the tip of the wings is shorter than the end of the long tail. Because of its short legs, it holds a horizontal posture when placed on the ground. The plumage has more morphisms, but the variations in the background color of the body and of the lower coverts of the wing are identical in the adult male, in the adult female and in the young; in any case, age and sex are easily determined based on the color of the eye, cere, face and the extent of black on the external primaries. The background color of the plumage of the body is uniform and varies between white, cream, light brown, reddish, dark brown and black, with many intermediate colors. In the lower parts, the adult is marked with a variable quantity of thin dark stripes, dark spots or large dark bars or with a combination of them; the young with large dark stripes. The adult has dark gray cere; in the young it is yellow.

In the male the eye is dark brown and the sides of the face are gray. The underside of the outer primaries has black tips and a clear line of separation with the remaining whitish part of the feathers. The underside of the secondaries is whitish with a broad dark subterminal band. In good light conditions the upper parts have a greyish tinge and the wing has a dark rear margin and the dark tip of the primary coverts. The underside of the body has a variable amount of dark spots or thin stripes on the chest and dark bars on the belly and sides, but they can also be completely free of any marking. The tail is dark brown with a wide light band that crosses it in the center.

In the female the eye is yellow and the sides of the face is brown, with some individuals with a lighter head having a dark line behind the eye. The upper parts are dark brown, usually with a light area on the top side of the primaries. Below, the outer primaries have dark bars that gradually fade towards the lighter bases without a clear separation line. The underside of the body is almost always barred, on average more heavily than those of the males. From above, the tail is light with three dark bars near the base.

Subspecies

• Pernis ptilorhynchus orientalis; southern Siberia to Manchuria and Japan; winters south to Greater Sundas islands
• Pernis ptilorhynchus palawanensis; Philippines: Palawan and Calauit islands
• Pernis ptilorhynchus philippensis; northern and eastern Philippine Islands
• Pernis ptilorhynchus ptilorhynchus; Indonesia: Java
• Pernis ptilorhynchus ruficollis; India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar and extreme southwestern China
• Pernis ptilorhynchus torquatus; Malay Peninsula to Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo)

Range and habitat

The oriental honey-buzzard is found in India, China, Russia (eastern Siberia), parts of Japan, southeast Asia and surrounding islands. In the western Palearctic it is a rare accidental, with few recent reports in Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and southern Italy. The entire north-eastern population is migratory; most move south to southeast Asia. The Indian sub-continental population is sedentary, with some possible movements from north to south during the winter.

The oriental honey-buzzard lives in wooded areas, and usually going unnoticed, except in spring, when the male performs in nuptial flights that take place plummeting down and rising several times. Then, at the height of the ascension, it hovers for a few seconds and beats its wings on its back two or three times, in rapid succession. This type of flight is characteristic of the species of the genus Pernis.

Diet

The oriental honey-buzzard is a specialized bird of prey that feeds mainly on larvae, pupae, nests and adults of various species of wasps and bees, and will often follow these insects from their foraging point to the nest. It will also feed on other insects, reptiles and amphibians, small mammals, bird nestlings and bird eggs, as well as some fruits and berries.

Threats

The global population of these birds is unknown, yet estimates given by many countries establish a population in excess of 1,000,000 birds. This, plus the large range, has enabled a classification of least concern by the ICUN. A significant cause for concern, however, is the increase of energy in the countries in which they live, with wind turbines specifically cited.