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Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae)

Eurasian Buzzard (Buteo buteo) - HBW 2, p. 185

French: Buse variable German: Mäusebussard Spanish: Busardo Ratonero
Other common names: Common Buzzard

Taxonomy: Falco Buteo Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Sometimes considered conspecific with B. oreophilus and also B. brachypterus; forms superspecies with these two, and possibly also with B. jamaicensis and B. ventralis; B. jamaicensis has been included in present species. Races vulpinus, menetriesi and japonicus all approaching species threshold. Island races poorly defined and possibly better rejected; birds from Madeira have also been awarded dubious race, harterti; birds from Italy and Sicily sometimes lumped in same race as those of Corsica and Sardinia, with priority for nam.. View all taxonomy...

Taxonomy: Falco Buteo Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Sometimes considered conspecific with B. oreophilus and also B. brachypterus; forms superspecies with these two, and possibly also with B. jamaicensis and B. ventralis; B. jamaicensis has been included in present species. Races vulpinus, menetriesi and japonicus all approaching species threshold. Island races poorly defined and possibly better rejected; birds from Madeira have also been awarded dubious race, harterti; birds from Italy and Sicily sometimes lumped in same race as those of Corsica and Sardinia, with priority for name pojana. Eleven subspecies normally recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) - Europe E to Finland, Romania and Turkey; also Madeira; winters in S of range, and irregularly S to Liberia.
  • arrigonii Picchi, 1903 - Corsica and Sardinia.
  • rothschildi Swann, 1919 - Azores.

     See all 11 subspecies
  • buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) - Europe E to Finland, Romania and Turkey; also Madeira; winters in S of range, and irregularly S to Liberia.
  • arrigonii Picchi, 1903 - Corsica and Sardinia.
  • rothschildi Swann, 1919 - Azores.
  • insularum Floericke, 1903 - Canary Is.
  • bannermani Swann, 1919 - Cape Verde Is.
  • vulpinus Gloger, 1833 - N Scandinavia and European Russia E to R Yenisey, and S to N Caucasus and C Asia (Altai, Tien Shan); winters mainly in Africa S of Sahara, and also in S Asia.
  • menetriesi Bogdanov, 1879 - S Crimea and Caucasus S to E Turkey and N Iran.
  • japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1844 - L Baikal area and Mongolia E through Amurland and Manchuria to Sakhalin, Japan and Kuril Is, and S to Tibet, and possibly NW India; winters in S Asia, from India to Japan.
  • refectus Portenko, 1929 - W China and perhaps Himalayas.
  • toyoshimai Momiyama, 1927 - Izu Is and Bonin Is.
  • oshiroi Nagahisa Kuroda, 1971 - Daito Is (to E of C Ryukyu Is).
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