Oriental Honey-buzzard mobbed

On 8th November 2008, we received a report from Dr Leong Tzi Ming:

“On the morning of 4th November, 2008, I photographed this raptor perched on the rooftop of adjacent houses outside my bedroom window. It was periodically being mocked, dive-bombed and chased by crows.

“After describing it to R Subaraj, he believed it’s most likely to be the Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus), en route towards the south. I also showed this picture to Morten Strange, who mentioned that it’s a juvenile, possibly heading for Sumatra.”

Oriental Honey-buzzards are common winter visitors and passage migrants to Singapore, especially the subspecies orientalis. These birds arrive as early as 10th September and as late as 22nd May, with most appearing towards the end of the year. Isolated birds may be seen in between this period.

The subspecies torquatus, sporting a prominent long crest, is an uncommon, non-breeding visitor.

Reference:
Wang, L.K. & C. J. Hails, 2007. An annotated checklist of birds of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement 15: 1-179.