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Subject: Japanese Sparrohawk? [Print This Page]

Author: brendank Time: 16/10/2010 22:05 Subject: Japanese Sparrohawk?

In an effort to be confused by every species of HK accipiter, I managed to find this bird today. I had this bird perched at Mai Po at a distance. Then one half hour I had this bird or maybe a different bird perched in the area much closer to me. I think the two pictures are the same bird but I am not even sure of that. I suppose it could just be a Besra but the supercilium looks so strong in the first the picture and the dark bands seem very thin in the first picture.

What do the raptor experts think?

Image Attachment: accip1.JPG (16/10/2010 22:05, 61.26 KB) / Download count 365
http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=7266

Image Attachment: accip2.JPG (16/10/2010 22:05, 63.71 KB) / Download count 348
http://hkbws.org.hk/BBS/attachment.php?aid=7267

Author: kmike Time: 17/10/2010 07:37

Richard Lewthwaite and I also saw this bird today.
We initially thought it looked big enough for a Crested Goshawk, but eventually it was clear that it it was a Besra.

Cheers
Mike K

Author: lpaul Time: 17/10/2010 08:42

Based on structure alone this has to be a Besra; the primary projection is remarkably short eliminating Japanese :
http://orientalbirdimages.org/se ... _ID=&pagesize=1
http://www.birdskorea.org/Galler ... piter-gularis.shtml
and the long and obviously thin tarsi eliminate Crested:
http://orientalbirdimages.org/se ... _ID=&pagesize=1

The tail barring as an id feature for separating Besra and Japanese applies to the upperside of the tail only.

[ Last edited by lpaul at 17/10/2010 09:37 ]

Author: brendank Time: 17/10/2010 20:15

Thanks, Mike and Paul. That is a good point regarding the primary projections on this bird. They are too short for Japanese.

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