CRESTED HONEY-BUZZARD

Copyright of photos belongs to Laurence Poh pohsp@pc.jaring.my 
Strictly no unauthorised use without permission.

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Crested Honey-Buzzard. 51-61 cm (20 24 in). Plumage highly variable but longish tail and neck together
with small pigeon-like head distinctive. When perched, show drooping crest which varies in length.
Upperparts vary from dark to rusty brown or creamy white usually marked with dark
bars or streaks. Head usually greyish showing dark malar stripe and pale throat with dark mesial stripe.
Underparts vary from dark brown to white but marked with dark or rufous bars on breast, belly,
greater wing coverts with dark trailing edge of wings and wingtips. Tail pattern vary; in most cases
marked with 3 unevenly spaced bold dark bands and sometimes with a braod white central band.
P.p. torquatus shown in photos has longer crest and is mostly dark showing little variation in plumage.

Breeding throughout northern temperate Asia, India, and South-East Asia discontinously
to the Greater Sundas and the Philippines. Temperate pop. are migratory, wintering
south to tropical latitudes. P.p. torquatus is a rare resident from low elevations up to 1200 m south to Johore.
P.p. orientalis is a common passage migrant at both low and high elevations south to Singapore.
Common in very large numbers at Tanjung Tuan during autumn and spring passage.

Found in forests, heavily wooded areas and open country during migration. The resident subspecies
is usually solitary, gliding high over forests. Feeds principally on the larvae of honey bees and
wasp which it obtains by breaking up their nests. Will also take small vertebrate prey.