Bird Album
Rufous-winged Buzzard
Butastur liventer (Temminck, 1827)
≈42 cmLength338 gWeight
The adult has a gray head and breast, with rufous flight feathers and tail visible from above in flight.
Busiest months: January–February · Most records: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam
Looks like Grey-faced Buzzard
How to identify
Field marks
- Adult head and underparts gray
- Adult crown, neck and breast have streaks
- Adult tail bright rufous above
- Adult underwing coverts white in flight
Male, female and young
Sexes alike; juvenile darker and browner, with a brownish-gray head and a white supercilium.
Voice
A sharp “pit-piu” call.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Rufous-winged Buzzard has been recorded at 122 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- TmatboeyCambodia1,299 records
- Ang Trapeang ThmorCambodia398 records
- Chiang Mai University – Mae Hia Agricultural CollegeThailand351 records
More places
- Koh KerCambodia275 records
- Doi Inthanon NP – Mueang Ang (Km 13) rd.Thailand252 records
- Khao Dinsor (Khao Dinso) / Chumphon Raptor CenterThailand155 records
- Doi Inthanon NPThailand126 records
- Ban Thi paddies – eastThailand117 records
- Prey VengCambodia108 records
- Nam Kham Nature ReserveThailand100 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 rufous-winged buzzard (Butastur liventer) is an Asian bird of prey. It is a resident breeder of Indochina, Java and Sulawesi. It is a species of deciduous forest and second growth up to 800 m.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Rufous-winged Buzzard?
The Rufous-winged Buzzard is about ≈42 cm long and weighs around 338 g.
Where does the Rufous-winged Buzzard live?
Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: Southeast Asia, Java and Sulawesi. It is most often recorded in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.
When is the best time to see the Rufous-winged Buzzard?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Rufous-winged Buzzard endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Rufous-winged Buzzard as Least Concern.
What does the Rufous-winged Buzzard eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Rufous-winged Buzzard in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈42 cm
- Weight
- 338 g
- Habitat
- Woodland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 275 mm
- Tail
- 149 mm
- Bill
- 31 mm
- Tarsus
- 62 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental, Australasia: Southeast Asia, Java and Sulawesi
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Butastur
Other birds in the genus Butastur
Grasshopper BuzzardButastur rufipennis
White-eyed BuzzardButastur teesa
Grey-faced BuzzardButastur indicus
Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
Scissor-tailed KiteChelictinia riocourii
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
Letter-winged KiteElanus scriptus
African Harrier-HawkPolyboroides typus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Jesse Long. ↗
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