The eastern buzzard or Japanese buzzard (''Buteo japonicus'') is a medium to large
bird of prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...
that is sometimes considered a
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the widespread
common buzzard
The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus ''Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range across ...
(''Buteo buteo''). Some scientists treated is as a distinct species starting in 2008, but others still treat it as either one or three subspecies. It is native to
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and some offshore islands. At least some birds winter in Southeast Asia. It is similar to the
steppe buzzard.
It includes four subspecies:
*''B. j. burmanicus'': breeds in Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and North Korea, winters in Southeast Asia
*''B. j. japonicus'': breeds only in Japan, winters from southern Japan to southeastern China and Taiwan
*''B. j. toyoshimai'': Izu Islands and Bonin Islands
*''B. j. oshiroi'': Daito Islands
References
*
*
* Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2011. The Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.6. Downloaded from https://web.archive.org/web/20100821172048/http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1152577
Buteo
Birds of prey
Birds of China
Birds of Japan
Birds described in 1844