See also:
Buteo buteo Linnaeus, 1758
Buteo buteo vulpinus Gloger, 1833

Synonyms

Buteo buteo burmanicus Hume, 1875
Buteo buteo refectus Portenko, 1935

Description

Two colour morphs considered: brown with mottled under; and brown monotone (occurs in Central Asia). Characterised by lost of rusty-red including rectrices. Male wing length 362-400 (379), female 378-426 (399) mm. Tarsus feathers more than half; emargination on outer web of P6 usually seen between tops of P9 and P10. Rare resident and short distant migrant. Inhabits mountain conifer and mixed forest with meadows and steppe slopes nearby. Nest is buit on spruce, fir, asp and poplar up to15 m of ground from twigs and lined with bast and green twigs. In Bayankol ravine (Terskey Alatau) 28 April 1957 it has 3 weak fertilised eggs, collected female was probably a hybrid with B. rufinus. In Ketmen' medium-sized nestlings found in nest 4 June and near to fledge 25 June and 26 July. In Altai close to Ridder feathered nestlings recorded at nest 10 July and flying juveniles 24 July. In Almaty collected 22 May 1906 and one bird caught 8 December 1973. At Chokpak Pass autumn migration begins 12 September 1994, latest 22 October 2001, most birds caught in October (in 1992-2001 it was caught 181 B.buteo and 14 B.japonicus).

Distribution

Distribution is not well known. Breeding in Altai, on Saur, Dzhungarskiy, Ketmen', Terskey, Kungey and Zailiyskiy Alatau ridges as far as Almaty. In eastern and southern Kazakhstan observed on migration and in winter, as well in Uzbekistan and India.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.