Mountain buzzard
Mountain buzzard | |
---|---|
In Ethiopia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Accipitriformes |
Family: | Accipitridae |
Genus: | Buteo |
Species: | B. oreophilus
|
Binomial name | |
Buteo oreophilus Neumann , 1914 |
The mountain buzzard (Buteo oreophilus) is a bird of prey that lives in montane forests in East Africa, it and the forest buzzard (Buteo trizonatus) of southern Africa were, until recently, considered to be a single species.
Description
A small buzzard and quite similar to the
Distribution
The mountain buzzard occurs in the mountainous regions of eastern Africa from
Habitat
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.[3]
Habits
The mountain buzzard spends most of the day perched within the forest cover, but it can sometimes be seen soaring overhead. It is a territorial bird which is usually seen singly or in pairs. The main prey consists of small mammals, reptiles, and insects which are caught after the bird sights them from an open perch before gliding down and capturing them. In Uganda this species has been recorded hunting bats at caves.[3]
Mountain buzzards construct a stick nests in the upper fork of tall forest trees. In East Africa nests with eggs have been reported from in January and March, while a nests with chicks have been reported in March, June and July. In Malawi there are no confirmed breeding records, but displaying pairs are most active in September and a juvenile has been seen in October.[3]
Taxonomy
The mountain buzzard and the forest buzzard are said to form a
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ISBN 0-7136-3968-7.
- ^ a b c d "Mountain Buzzard Buteo oreophilus". The Peregrine Fund. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
External links
- Mountain buzzard - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.