The rocky buzzard [1] ( lat. Buteo rufofuscus ) is an African bird of prey of the hawk family with a body length of about 50 cm. It is mainly a mountain species, which usually occurs at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level, but reaches a mark of 5000 m, and descends to the foothills of the plains. This is a settled, non-migratory species.
| Rock buzzard |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
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| International scientific name |
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Buteo rufofuscus
Forster , 1798 |
| Security status |
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Least ConcernedIUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 22695987 |
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Content
The species name rufofuscus in translation means red-brown; formed from two Latin words: rufus - red and fuscus - brown, dark-skinned [2] .
Previously, the view included the following three subspecies:
- B. r. rufofuscus , nominative South African form,
- B. r. augur , lives in Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan and northern Congo,
- B. r. archeri , lives in Somalia.
Now the buzzard-augur and Buteo archeri have raised their rank to a species, and the rocky buzzard has become a monotypic species.
Appearance
The Rock Buzzard is a medium-sized bird with a body length of 45–55 cm, a wingspan of 127–143 cm, and a body weight of 865–1080 g. in males and 1150-1695 gr. in females [3] . Females are on average 8% larger and 38% heavier than males [4] . Compared to most buzzards, in this species the head is smaller in relation to the body and more extended; the beak is more powerful. In adults, the slate-gray color predominates in color. Head and neck are completely gray. The chest and tail are rusty in color [4] .
Voice
Sharp, high screams, like a jackal barking. Males have a higher voice than females. The voice of the rocky buzzard is noticeably different from the African mountain buzzard and the augur buzzard [4] .
The basis of the diet is small mammals, mainly rodents, and reptiles, including lizards and snakes. Occasionally, a bird can feed on insects such as termites and grasshoppers. The rocky buzzard does not disdain and carrion. Typical prey are mice, rats, young mongooses , damans , hares , striders and small birds. A buzzard is tracking its victim by a soaring in the air or sitting on a tree or pillar. Most often it is grabbed on flat ground or road [4] .
Rock buzzards are monogamous birds and, as a rule, remain together all their lives. The breeding season is in the middle of spring - summer. Birds build their nests on ledges of rocks, often near a tree or shrub or at a small (up to 15 m) distance from it. As a building material, branches are used. The nests are large - about 60-70 cm in diameter and about 35 cm in height. Females lay eggs in July-September. In their masonry 2-3. Chicks hatch after about 40 days [4] .
Steppe buzzards live in South Africa in Namibia , Lesotho , Swaziland , Mozambique and Botswana . Inhabit mountains and steppes, mostly located above 1000 m above sea level [3] .
- ↑ Boehme R. L. , Flint V. E. The Bilingual Dictionary of Animal Names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Ed. ed. Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang., "RUSSO", 1994. - S. 41. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- ↑ James A. Jobling. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. - London: A&C Black Publishers Ltd, 2010 .-- S. 342. - 432 p. - ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- ↑ 1 2 Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus) | HBW Alive
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 James Ferguson-Lees and David A. Christie. Raptors of the World. - London: Christopher Helm Publishers, 2001 .-- S. 712-713. - 992 s. - ISBN 978-0-7136-8026-3 .
