What bird of prey is this

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PapaLazarou

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Mark
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Can anyone tell me what bird of prey this is ?.

Bird_of_prey.jpg
 
Pretty sure its a black kite in juvenile plumage
 
It's a wild bird, took a few frames but only one thats sharp.
 
Its a buzzard, IMHO.
 
Great photo :D
 
IanC_UK said:
in fact looking at it, it is a Buzzard, the white on the tail lower body gives it away ? do any of the non sharp images show a better angle ?
Click to expand...

Hi Ian I know what you are saying and a better look at the tail would be a dead give away, but kites are "whiter too in juvinile plumage, The head doesn't look quite right for a buzzard either but that could just be the angle ( or wishful thinkin' on my part :D)
A few examples to compare, crap images I know

Common buzzard head shot

CB_Small_.jpg



Common buzzard in flight
butbut14169.jpg


Black kite in flight

kite3.jpg
 
Thats an amazing shot for a wild bird!! Is it cropped or was it near.

I would love to capture a shot like that.

BTW I would say its a buzzard, yellow knob on beak.

Tim
 
Deffo a Buzzard. We have hundreds of them up here and I've been chasing them for months. For a big bird they are bloody difficult to get close to in the wild. So well done you(y)(y) for getting that shot.
 
Thanks for all your help, I was just out walking and had a rest in a field when it just came down. It was only around 20 ft away, but as soon as it landed it saw me and took off again. This shot was taken with a 70-200 lens at 200 I have cropped into the frame a bit, will try and dig the other frames out.
 
Here is one of the not so in focus shots, this is the best of the rest, hope it helps with the ID.

AH10129.jpg
 
real shame that last one isnt quite sharp, its a great angle and would have been a real beauty.
 
That is definately a "buteo" ( Buzzard) 100% but just look at the colout of that tail, its too red for a "normal buzzard" and looks very much like a red tail hawk, but they are native to Nth America unless its an escapee :shrug:

The other thing buzzards "generally" don't skim the ground like that its more of a cative hawks trait, when they are coming to the fist, especially as its flying toawrds you like that a wild hawk would be going in the opposite direction

Though its possible its a common buzzard though with a "colour morph tail"

Did you see anything on its legs? ( leather wear)
 
Didnt see anything on the legs, but I will have a closer look at the file later. There is a bird and Otter sanctuary a few miles away from where I shot this, wonder if they had a jail break.
 
I would say it is definitely your common or garden buzzard. The French describe our feathered friend well in their name for it - Buse Variable (have a guess!). Their plumage can vary drastically from bird to bird in my experience. With regard to the height it was flying at, they often fly low to start with over a field after taking off from the ground or a low perch I have found.

D
 
Dunkx said:
I would say it is definitely your common or garden buzzard. The French describe our feathered friend well in their name for it - Buse Variable (have a guess!). Their plumage can vary drastically from bird to bird in my experience. With regard to the height it was flying at, they often fly low to start with over a field after taking off from the ground or a low perch I have found.
Click to expand...

They dive to gain speed, then they use the ground effect to provide extra lift for gliding and staying low, to stay unnoticed behind terrain features while fast approaching their target. When close to the prey, but still invisible to it behind terrain features, they 'pop' up and over the cover to pounce down on the squirrel. Or shrew, or rabbit.

NATO Airforce fighter bomber pilots use this 'ingress – egress' tactic – a.k.a. High-Low-High-Low-High – all the time.

I'm not an ornithologist, but I think I've seen that bird hundreds if not thousands of times over 50 years. I know it as a "kiekendief" (chick thief, in Dutch). But I have no way of checking what its English equivalent is. Anyone know of a multi-language translator specialized in fauna monikers (because that's quite a confusing area)?
 
W.Smith said:
They dive to gain speed, then they use the ground effect to provide extra lift for gliding and staying low, to stay unnoticed behind terrain features while fast approaching their target. When close to the prey, but still invisible to it behind terrain features, they 'pop' up and over the cover to pounce down on the squirrel. Or shrew, or rabbit.

NATO Airforce fighter bomber pilots use this 'ingress – egress' tactic – a.k.a. High-Low-High-Low-High – all the time.

I'm not an ornithologist, but I think I've seen that bird hundreds if not thousands of times over 50 years. I know it as a "kiekendief" (chick thief, in Dutch). But I have no way of checking what its English equivalent is. Anyone know of a multi-language translator specialized in fauna monikers (because that's quite a confusing area)?
Click to expand...

'Kuikendief' is the Dutch term for 'Harrier' - so it is a similar bird (especially from the angle of that picture and it being low over the ground), but not quite the same.
 
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