White-eyed Buzzard

Overview

The white-eyed buzzard (Butastur teesa) is a medium-sized hawk native to South Asia that is distinct from the true buzzards found in the genus Buteo. This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia.

Identification

• Distinctive white iris and white throat with a dark mesial stripe.
• Dark brown head with yellow ceres and pale median coverts on the upper wing.
• Rufous tail marked with a darker subterminal band and darkly barred underside.
• Vocalisations include a mewing call or falling whistle transcribed as 'pit-weer'.

Habitat

Found in dry, open forest and cultivation throughout the plains of South Asia, extending up to 1,000–1,200 m in the Himalayan foothills. It is a resident in countries including India, Iran, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, though it is a summer visitor in northeastern Afghanistan and absent from Sri Lanka.

Diet

Feeds primarily on large insects such as locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets, as well as small vertebrates including mice, lizards, and frogs. They forage by soaring on thermals or perching upright for prolonged periods, and may occasionally take crabs from wetlands or larger prey like the black-naped hare.

Did you know?

Fledgelings are reddish brown, which is unusual compared to most other downy raptor chicks that tend to be white. This species was also identified as the second most common raptor killed by electrocution on power lines in Rajasthan after the kestrel in a 2011 study.