The Indian Subcontinent provides suitable habitats to various species of birds for residing and reproducing. Buzzards are no exception in this regard. Long-Legged Buzzard, White-Eyed Buzzard, Oriental Honey Buzzard and Upland Buzzard are the buzzards which have been recorded in India. They belong to the kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; class, Aves; order, Accipitriformes; and family, Accipitridae. These buzzards are described below.
Long-Legged Buzzard
The species name of Long-Legged Buzzard is B. rufinus. It occupies dry open plains across central India. It is a polymorphic bird. This bird can appear in varied colors like dark brown, reddish and pale brown. The head of the bird is pale in color. Orange tinge appears prominently on the body of the bird. The rump of the bird is often dark or deep rufous. The trailing edge to the wing is blackish. The underwings are whitish in color. The bird has a distinctive black carpal patch. The tail of the bird is red or orange in color.
White-Eyed Buzzard
The species name of White-Eyed Buzzard is B. teesa. As the name of the bird suggests, it has white iris in the eye. The head of the bird is dark and its ceres are distinctly yellow. Its throat is white in color. The bird has darkly barred underside. It has dark mesial stripe. When flying, the bird exhibits its narrow wings, which appear rounded with black tips to the feathers. The upper wing displays a pale bar over the brown. The tail of the bird is rufous and is barred with a darker subterminal band. If the bird has brownish iris and whitish forehead, it can then be identified as a young bird. The female buzzard is slightly larger than the male buzzard.
Oriental Honey Buzzard
The species name of Oriental Honey Buzzard is P. ptilorhynchus. It is bird with small head and long-neck. It has a dark throat stripe. The bird is brown above and paler below. The male bird has a small blue-grey head and a short head crest. Its back is brown and the underparts are paler. It has long and dark tail, with a white band. The female counterpart has brown colored head. The male buzzard is smaller than the female.
Upland Buzzard
The species name of Upland Buzzard is B. hemilasius. It is a bird with pale and dark morphs. The pale morph is characterized by whitish head, nape and underparts. There are large brown spots irregularly distributed on the upper breast and abdomen. The dark morphed bird is characterized by completely dark brown skin. The bird has dark bands on the tail.
