Buteo japonicus
Silhouette: Lauren Anderson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Buzzard sighting in Taroko National Park on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 113th most-seen of the 147 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Buzzard in Taroko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, 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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Eastern Buzzard sightings, Taroko National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Nikko National Park (Japan, about 20%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Buzzard that you can see in Taroko National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Crested Serpent Eagle (about 30%), Mountain Hawk-Eagle (about 10%) and Black Eagle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Buzzard is recorded against all the birds logged in Taroko National Park (29 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.
