Eastern Buzzard

Buteo japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1845

≈57 cmLength130 cmWingspan759 gWeight

This medium to large raptor is carnivorous, feeding mainly on terrestrial vertebrates.

Busiest months: December–January · Most records: China, Japan, South Korea

Least Concern

How to identify

Where and when it's recorded

Eastern Buzzard has been recorded at 1,204 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 18 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)1,490 records
Baiwangshan Forest ParkChina570 records
Nanhui DongtanChina510 records

More places

Edogawa Ward – Kasai Rinkai Park / Kasai Kaihin ParkJapan507 records
Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)460 records
Kinmen – Doumen Hiking TrailChina453 records
Aogu Wetland IBATaiwan (China)451 records
Kinmen – Shagang RanchChina422 records
Matsu – DongyinChina422 records
Kinmen – Lieyu Lingshui LakeChina368 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Japan South Korea Thailand Singapore Mongolia Philippines Vietnam

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The eastern buzzard or Japanese buzzard (Buteo japonicus) is a medium to large bird of prey that is sometimes considered a subspecies of the widespread common buzzard (Buteo buteo). It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the common buzzard, but molecular phylogenetic studies revealed that B. buteo as then circumscribed was polyphyletic, leading to the recognition of the eastern buzzard and Himalayan buzzard (B. refectus) as distinct species. It is native to East Asia and some parts of Russia and South Asia, with some birds wintering in Southeast Asia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eastern Buzzard?

The Eastern Buzzard is about ≈57 cm long, with a wingspan of 130 cm and weighs around 759 g.

Where does the Eastern Buzzard live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: central, southern Siberia, Mongolia, northeastern China and Japan. It is most often recorded in China, Japan and South Korea.

When is the best time to see the Eastern Buzzard?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and December (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eastern Buzzard endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eastern Buzzard as Least Concern.

What does the Eastern Buzzard eat?

Main food: Vertebrate prey.

What family is the Eastern Buzzard in?

It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.

At a glance

Length: ≈57 cm
Wingspan: 130 cm
Weight: 759 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Vertebrate prey
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 395 mm
Tail: 212 mm
Bill: 34 mm
Tarsus: 77 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: central, southern Siberia, Mongolia, northeastern China and Japan

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Buteo japonicus burmanicus se Siberia (Transbaikalia) and n Mongolia to ne China, n Korea and e, ne Siberia. Sakhalin? | non-breeding: s, se Asia, w Japan
Buteo japonicus japonicus Japan, locally Luzon (n Philippines) | non-breeding: s Japan to Ryukyu Is., Taiwan (China), Philippines, se China