White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa Scientific name definitions

36–43 cm; 325 g; wingspan 86–100 cm (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Female averages marginally larger by size (up to 13%) (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Small, slim-bodied (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) greyish-brown, buteo-like raptor (although flight action is Accipiter-like (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ); striking pale yellowish-white eye (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and rufous-brown upper side of tail; white throat with wide dark central stripe; white forehead and lores (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); small to large white patch on nape ; very variable pale patches on upperwing-coverts can be extensive, and frequently conspicuous when bird is perched. Frequently twists tail in flight, in manner of Milvus kite (2 Porter, R., and S. Aspinall (2010). Birds of the Middle East. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Legs orange-yellow (yellow in juvenile) and cere yellow (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Juvenile similar to adult, but paler on head , has brown eye (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), lacks adult throat pattern (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and less heavily streaked and overall paler below (2 Porter, R., and S. Aspinall (2010). Birds of the Middle East. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); achieves adult plumage by second year (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Extreme SE Iran, NE Afghanistan and Pakistan through India and Nepal to Myanmar (S to N Tenasserim).

Dry, open country, wooded (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) and cultivated areas in lowlands up to 1200 m (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) in Himalayas, even 2000 m in summer (3 Naoroji, R. (1999). Status of diurnal raptors of Corbett National Park with notes on their ecology and conservation. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 96(3):387-398. Close ), but mainly below 500 m (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); exceptionally recorded at 4000 m (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Mainly sedentary. Some local movements in N Pakistan, in region of border with Afghanistan, and possibly performs local altitudinal migrations in Himalayas (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Vagrant also to Tibet and Oman, but United Arab Emirates records attributed to escapes (2 Porter, R., and S. Aspinall (2010). Birds of the Middle East. Second edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Most remarkably, one photographed in S Sulawesi, Indonesia, in Sept 2014, was c. 3800 km from its normal range, although a specimen said to be from Australia is generally considered to have been mislabelled (4 Shagir, K.J. and Iqbal, M. (2015). White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa, a new species for Greater Sundas and Wallacea. BirdingASIA. 23: 124–125. Close ).

Small mammals (mainly or exclusively rodents (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ), lizards, frogs, small snakes (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), crabs and large insects (mainly locusts , alate termites and grasshoppers (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ); occasionally birds (usually sick or injured (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ). Hunts from perch (often a low stump, stone or low mound (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) ), making short flights to ground to capture prey, but also sometimes hawks termites in flight (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), or walks on ground searching for insects or other prey, especially in wake of grassland fire (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Gives plaintive mewing "pit-weer, pit-weer..." very frequently, both perched and in flight, early during breeding season (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Season Feb–Jun (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) throughout range, with slight variations depending on latitude/altitude (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Loose, unlined, crow-sized nest, c. 20–45 cm across and 8–10 cm deep (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), built by pair 8–12 m up tall tree, either in fork or on densely foliaged branch (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), often in grove or village; apparently constructs new nest each year (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Display flights as such unreported, but accounts of pair soaring/circling (1 Ferguson-Lees, J., and D. A. Christie (2001). Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) over territory constantly calling may constitute display. Usually 3 eggs (2–4); incubation by female only, reported to last 19 days, but probably much longer; chicks have white down, buff-coloured on back; both parents feed young; fledging and dependency periods unrecorded.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Common to fairly common locally; abundant in Pakistan. Over 100 birds seen at Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan (NW India), in 1989, during period of rodent abundance, but few recorded at same site in 1990. Up to 650 birds counted in Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India, feeding on insects in Aug–Sep 2011 (5 Sangha, H.S., Bhardwaj, G.S., and Poonia, S.S. (2012). Huge concentrations of the White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa at Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Churu district, Rajasthan. Indian Birds. 7(5): 139-140. Close ). No threats known at present, and speculated to be benefiting from increased foraging opportunities as a result of deforestation in India (3 Naoroji, R. (1999). Status of diurnal raptors of Corbett National Park with notes on their ecology and conservation. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 96(3):387-398. Close ).