Rough-legged buzzard

My first Rough-legged buzzard I saw on a late winter evening in poor light in the polders of Strijen. Rough-legged buzzards are rare winter guests in the Netherlands and last years they seem even more rare.


All my pictures can be found here.

Field characteristics

The Rough-legged buzzard is a separate specie which is often mistakenly identified by inexperienced birders because Common buzzards can sometimes have three or four characteristics of a rough-legged but aren't. Rough-legged are winterguests which can be recognized by their larger size (+17 cm wingspan), the light head, the dark brown chest band, and the light tailfeathers with a dark terminal band.

I once saw a Buzzard that looked very much like a Rough-legged, with a light head, dark chest, white upper tailfeathers and a dark terminal band on the tail. Only it had no feathered legs :-(

Sound:

A little lower pitch than a Common buzzard.