White Eyed Buzzard

The White-eyed Buzzard with the scientific name Butastur teesa is a slim and medium sized hawk falling under the family Accipitridae and the genus Butastur. This slim buzzard is distinct in its size and white iris. It is majorly found in South Asia and is a prime resident of India.

The specific name 'teesa' is derived from Hindi language. The name Butastur is used to denote that it is between Astur (old name of sparrow hawks) and Buteo buzzards. The quick classification of White-eyed Buzzard is as below,

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Order	Falconiformes
Family	Accipitridae
Genus	Butastur
Species	B. teesa

Physical Characteristics:

White eye buzzard is of the hawk species and is a slim and small sized hawk with a distinct white iris in its eye. They have a dark mesipal stripe running across the white throat and bordered by dark moustachial stripes. White spots can be seen at the back of the head. The wing tip closely reaches the tip of the tail while perching. The head is brown, ceres are yellow and the underparts of the body are darkly colored.


The narrow wings appear rounded with feathers which are black tipped and the wings are lined dark during the flight.

The upper wing during the flight displays pale thick stripes over the brown. The rufous tail is lined with a darker subterminal band. They don't have a carpal patch which should be present on the underside of the wings. They usually sit upright on perches for long hours.

Young birds have brownish iris rather than white, forehead is white and supercilium is broad which makes people to puzzle them with Grey-faced buzzards, which also possess a white supercilium. A species of endoparasitic platyhelminth has been found in the liver of this species.

Protozoa with the genus Atoxoplasma is said to live in its blood stream. Like most birds they are also tend to have specialized ectoparasitic bird lice such as Colpocephalum zerafae. They are 43 to 45 cm long in body length.

Behavior:

This species is seen either perching still on the branch of tall trees or soaring alone in thermals in search of insects or invertebrates. These species are either seen individually or in group consisting of two or three. They make calls like mewing or whistling sounds. During the breeding season they are vociferous and make call in such a manner that the other birds hear their call.

Food Habits:

They feed mainly on insects like earth worms, grasshoppers, locusts, crickets and other large insects. They also feed on invertebrates like mice, frogs and lizards. They may also snatch crabs from near wetlands and are reported to eat larger prey like the Black-naped Hare (Lepus nigricollis).

Distribution and Habitat:

This species is widely distributed in various parts of South Asia, typically throughout the plains of India and extending up to 1000m towards the Himalayas.In addition to India, it is also a resident in Pakistan, Nepal, Iran, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It visits northeastern Afghanistan during the summer season.

It is mainly spotted in the plains but may go up to 1200m in the foothills of the Himalayas. The preferable habitat of white eye buzzard is dry and open forest or cultivation lands. They are found in large areas in some areas but are found to be declining in few places. A survey taken in the year of 1950 estimated that about 5000 birds is present in the area of about 50,000 kms in vicinity of Delhi.

They are found in various wild life sanctuaries of India like
• Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
• Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan
• Kawal wildlife sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh
• Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Gir National Park, Gujarat
• Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh
• Bandipur National Park, Karnataka

Mating and Nesting:

The breeding season is in between February and May. The nest is a loose platform made of twigs and branches in a tree or at times in a leafless tree. They are vociferous during the breeding season which makes the other birds know while they soar together. The usual clutch of the bird contains three eggs.

The eggs are white and generally unspotted. Both male and female build the nest together. Only female is involved in the incubation of eggs which lasts for about 19 days. Once the egg is hatched both male and female feed their young ones. Juveniles have brownish iris rather than white, forehead is white and supercilium is broad.

Threats and conservation:

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has categorized White eyed buzzard as 'Least concern' as they are widely distributed in various wild life sanctuaries, forests and plains of India. They are also listed in the Appendix II of the CITES.

Interesting facts about White Eyed Buzzard

1. The White-eyed Buzzard can perch for long durations and generally flies in small groups.
2. Studies on Molecular phylogeny suggests that the genus is a sister group of the Buteoninae.