Hello everyone! As spring deepens, among the birds returning from the far south to Japan, the Grey-faced Buzzard stands out particularly. Their return tells us that nature has started a new cycle with the arrival of spring.
The Grey-faced Buzzard is a medium-sized hawk with a body length of 47-51cm, slightly larger than a pigeon and about the size of a Carrion Crow. The male has a grey-brown head and chestnut brown chest, with a distinctive white throat marked by a black vertical stripe. On the other hand, the female is more noticeable with her eyebrow spots and has pale brown horizontal stripes on her abdomen. Occasionally, there are rare dark-colored Grey-faced Buzzards, all black-brown, which are fun to identify.
Their main diet includes small animals such as snakes, lizards, frogs, and insects like cicadas and grasshoppers. They skillfully hunt near human settlements, such as in paddy fields, and their agile movements are captivating to watch.
The Grey-faced Buzzard’s clear, loud call, which sounds like “Pick-ee” and is sometimes heard as “Kiss me,” is one of its characteristics. This call seems to carry the essence of spring’s arrival. They build nests and raise their young in forests at altitudes below 1,000 meters.
In the autumn, they form large groups and embark on a long journey south. They travel at an average speed of about 40 kilometers per hour, covering an average of 480 kilometers per day, and can fly non-stop for 12 hours. Amami Oshima is known as one of their largest wintering sites in Japan, where about 2,000 birds spend the winter.
The decrease in their habitats is a current issue. The return of the Grey-faced Buzzard not only signifies the arrival of spring but also provides us with an opportunity to contemplate coexistence with nature. Let’s look forward to seeing them again! See you next time.
