Buteo japonicus
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The eastern buzzard or Japanese buzzard (Buteo japonicus) is a medium to large bird of prey that is sometimes considered a subspecies of the widespread common buzzard (Buteo buteo). It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the common buzzard, but molecular phylogenetic studies revealed that B. buteo as then circumscribed was polyphyletic, leading to the recognition of the eastern buzzard and Himalayan buzzard (B. refectus) as distinct species. It is native to East Asia and some parts of Russia and South Asia, with some birds wintering in Southeast Asia. It is similar to the steppe buzzard. It is carnivorous.
It includes four subspecies: B. j. burmanicus: breeds in Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and North Korea, winters in Southeast Asia B. j. japonicus: breeds only in Japan, winters from southern Japan to southeastern China and Taiwan
Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2011. The Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.6. Downloaded from https://web.archive.org/web/20100821172048/http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 2 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 3 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Edogawa Ward Natural Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Buzzard sighting in Nikko National Park on a given day, based on 105 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Buzzard in Nikko National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Buzzard sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Eastern Buzzard sightings, Nikko National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Taroko National Park (Taiwan, under 5%) and Doi Inthanon National Park (Thailand, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Buzzard is recorded against all the birds logged in Nikko National Park (105 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
