First Records of Red-Necked Buzzard Buteo Auguralis for Southern Africa, with Notes on Identification of Buteo Buzzards in the Subregion R
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First records of Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis for southern Africa, with notes on identification of Buteo buzzards in the subregion R. Buija, W. S. Clarkb and D. G. Allanc Premières mentions de la Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis pour l’Afrique australe, avec des notes sur l’identification de buses Buteo dans la sous-region. Les six premières mentions de la Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis pour l’Afrique australe sont présentées. Trois observations ont été faites en Namibie, deux au Botswana, et la sixième en Afrique du Sud ; toutes étaient dans le grand bassin du Kalahari. Quatre observations concernaient des juvéniles et ont eu lieu dans la seconde moitié de la période sèche de l’hiver austral (juillet–août). Les deux autres concernaient des adultes ou subadultes et ont été effectuées dans la seconde moitié de la saison des pluies de l’été austral (janvier–mars). Les oiseaux ont été observés en cinq années différentes (2001, 2009, 2011, 2014 et 2015), suggérant un vagabondage régulier des populations nichant plus au nord. Nous présentons les caractères de plumage qui faciliteront la séparation de juveniles de la Buse d’Afrique d’autres buses en Afrique australe (Buse forestière B. trizonatus, Buse des steppes B. buteo vulpinus, Buse augure B. augur et Buse rounoir B. rufofuscus). Summary. We present the first six records of Red-necked Buzzards Buteo auguralis for southern Africa: three from Namibia, two from Botswana and one from South Africa, and all are from the greater Kalahari Basin. Four records were of juveniles and occurred during the mid- to late austral winter dry period (July–August). The other two records were adults or near-adults and occurred during the mid- to late austral summer wet season (January–March). Birds were seen in five different years (2001, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015), suggesting regular vagrancy from breeding populations further north. We present plumage characters that will facilitate future separation of juvenile Red-necked Buzzards from Forest B. trizonatus, Steppe B. buteo vulpinus, Augur B. augur and Jackal Buzzards B. rufofuscus in southern Africa. any Buteo species are very similar in general has been considered worthy of elevation to specific M appearance to one another. In addition, status (e.g. Hockey et al. 2005) but is treated intra-specific variation in plumage colours and as a subspecies here following Dickinson & patterns within most, if not all, Buteo species are Remsen (2013). Augur and Jackal Buzzards, notoriously bewildering and are occasionally so and Mountain and Forest Buzzards, have been marked as to carry the labels of discrete ‘morphs’. considered conspecific (e.g. Brown et al. 1982) This variability is further compounded by typically but are now widely accepted as separate species subtle but distinct differences in plumages and (e.g. Dickinson & Remsen 2013). other features (e.g. eye colour) in juveniles. It Four Buteo species, Forest, Steppe, Augur and is little wonder that Buteo buzzards frequently Jackal Buzzards, occur commonly in southern present serious field identification challenges, Africa, defined here as the geographic subregion although morphometric and plumage characters south of the Zambezi and Cunene rivers, generally prove useful to discriminate taxa (e.g. and including Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001, Clark 2007). Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland and southern The following seven Buteo taxa regularly Mozambique (Hockey et al. 2005). Long-legged occur on the African mainland: Long-legged Buzzard has been claimed as a rare vagrant Buteo rufinus, Red-necked B. auguralis, Forest to southern Africa, but its presence remains B. trizonatus, Mountain B. oreophilus, Common controversial and requires confirmation (Dowsett B. buteo, Augur B. augur and Jackal Buzzards & Kemp 1988, Hockey et al. 2005). All of B. rufofuscus (Kruckenhauser et al. 2004, Clark the many photographs of alleged Long-legged 2007). The race vulpinus of Common Buzzard, Buzzards from the subregion were judged to be ‘Steppe Buzzard’, is the most widespread taxon juvenile Jackal Buzzards (WSC pers. obs.). of this species in Africa, where it is a non- Forest Buzzard is endemic to southern Africa breeding Palearctic migrant. The taxon vulpinus and is a partial migrant found in temperate coastal 46 – Bull ABC Vol 23 No 1 (2016) First records of Red-necked Buzzard for southern Africa: Buij et al forests and clearings of South Africa, moving north and yellow legs. Eye colour of adults is dark brown as far as the Drakensberg escarpment during the in all five buzzard species covered here. non-breeding season. Steppe Buzzard is a common Palearctic non-breeding visitor to southern Africa, Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis with some occasionally remaining in South Similar in size and shape to Forest and Steppe Africa during the southern winter. Confusion Buzzards. It is noticeably slighter and longer tailed exists concerning the status of those buzzards in appearance than Augur and Jackal Buzzards, observed year-round on the Cape Peninsula, some although to some extent it shares the broad-winged matching the description of Steppe Buzzard, others appearance of those two species in flight. The head displaying intermediate characters between Steppe and nape are variably tinged rufous in both adults and Forest Buzzard (Clark 2009a). Augur Buzzard is sedentary in northern parts of southern Africa. It occurs fairly widely in Zimbabwe, Namibia and parts of Mozambique, and has been claimed from extreme north-east South Africa (e.g. Kemp 1974). There are five previously confirmed records for Botswana (P. Hancock in litt. 2015), while Fig. 16 presented here documents a sixth. Jackal Buzzard is endemic to southern Africa, occurring largely to the south of the range of Augur Buzzard and is generally sedentary, although juveniles are dispersive over wide areas, frequenting a greater variety of habitats, from lowlands to (mainly) hills. No published records of Red-necked Buzzard exist for southern Africa. This intra-African or partial migrant of West and Central Africa occurs from the Sahel south to the equatorial forest zone and north-west Angola, the southernmost part of the distribution range, where populations are apparently rather sedentary (Ferguson-Lees & Christie 2001). This paper presents details of the first six records of Red-necked Buzzard for southern Africa, including one previously identified as a Forest Buzzard. We commence by discussing the key identification features under most field conditions differentiating juveniles of 1 Red-necked Buzzard from the four common Buteo Figure 1. Juvenile Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis, species occurring in southern Africa, particularly Cameroon, June 2009 (Ralph Buij). The pale eye, white throat and upper chest, and buff edges to the upperpart as relevant to these six records, all of which are feathers are all indicative of a juvenile, while the rufous supported by photographic evidence. We focus cast to the head and neck, uniformly dark secondaries, primarily on juveniles, as the key identification streaking restricted to flanks and belly, and lack of narrow problems are typically associated with this age pale supercilium and dark stripe behind the eye are all group. useful identification features. Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis juvénile, Cameroun, juin Separation of juvenile Buteo buzzards in 2009 (Ralph Buij). L’œil pâle, la gorge et le haut de la southern Africa poitrine blanche, et les lisérés chamois des plumes des parties supérieures indiquent qu’il s’agit d’un juvénile, All juvenile buzzards have brown upperparts tandis que la coloration roussâtre de la tête et du cou, edged rufous-buff, variably marked whitish to les rémiges secondaires uniformément sombres, les stries creamy or rufous underparts, and brown tails with confinées aux flancs et au ventre, et l’absence d’un étroit narrow dark bands. They also have yellow ceres, sourcil pâle et d’un trait foncé derrière l’œil sont des yellowish, greyish-brown to (pale) brown eyes, caractères complémentaires utiles à l’identification. First records of Red-necked Buzzard for southern Africa: Buij et al Bull ABC Vol 23 No 1 (2016) – 47 Figure 2. Juvenile Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis, Cameroon, August 2008 (Ralph Buij). The dark carpal arcs stand out, median coverts are pale (shared with Forest Buzzard B. trizonatus), greater coverts form a darker line, and note rufous cast to tail, lower chest and unmarked leg feathers. Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis juvénile, Cameroun, août 2008 (Ralph Buij). Les virgules carpales sombres tranchent sur le fond clair, les couvertures sous-alaires moyennes sont pâles (comme chez la Buse forestière B. trizonatus), les grandes couvertures forment une ligne sombre, et la queue, et le bas de la poitrine et la culotte unie sont teintés de roux. 2 Figure 3. Juvenile Red-necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis, Cameroon, August 2007 (Ralph Buij). Note blotches on breast-sides and flanks, drop-like streaks on underparts, which are more whitish than buff, plus dark carpal arcs, dark markings restricted to lesser and greater coverts, and indistinctly barred flight feathers. Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis juvénile, Cameroun, août 2007 (Ralph Buij). Noter les taches sur les cotés, les stries en forme de gouttes sur les parties inférieures, qui sont blanchâtres plutôt que chamois, ainsi que les virgules carpales sombres, les marques sombres confinées aux petites et grandes couvertures sous-alaires, et les 3 rémiges faiblement barrées. 48 – Bull ABC Vol 23 No 1 (2016) First records of Red-necked Buzzard for southern Africa: Buij et al Figure 4. Juvenile Red- necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis, Cameroon, August 2008 (Ralph Buij). Note dark carpal arcs, unmarked median coverts and dark line formed by greater coverts. Buse d’Afrique Buteo auguralis juvénile, Cameroun, août 2008 (Ralph Buij). Noter les virgules carpales sombres, les couvertures sous-alaires moyennes unies et la ligne sombre sur les grandes couvertures. 4 Figure 5. Juvenile Red- necked Buzzard Buteo auguralis, Cameroon, June 2010 (Ralph Buij).