Buteo hemilasius
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The upland buzzard (Buteo hemilasius) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. The largest species of the Buteo genus, this buzzard lives in mountainous grassy and rocky areas in areas of Central Asia, northern South Asia and East Asia from Kazakhstan to Korea. The upland buzzard is migratory but typically covers a short distance apparently to avoid snow cover that may hamper prey capture. This species primarily subsists on small mammals but does not shun alternate prey from small to large birds and insects. This little-known raptor has a large range, and though generally uncommon, it is not thought to be rare or declining as a species. As a result, it is classified as least concern by the IUCN.
The upland buzzard species was first described by Temminck and Schlegel in 1844 and is monotypic. Currently, this species is considered to form a superspecies with the long-legged buzzard. At one time, the upland buzzard was considered as conspecific with the long-legged species. A small molecular study found that there was not a strong genetic affinity between the upland and long-legged buzzards. There is some circumstantial claims that they will... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 2 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulaanbaatar | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 2 | Beijing | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Tianjin | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 5 | Seoul | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Upland Buzzard sighting in Beijing on a given day, based on 291 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 117th most-seen of the 324 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Upland Buzzard in Beijing on a given day, against under 5% in April to November, the lowest months. Those are among Beijing's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in July.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Upland Buzzard sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Upland Buzzard sightings, Beijing ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Upland Buzzard is recorded against all the birds logged in Beijing (291 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
