Photo copyright: AS/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Amboseli • Oct 2009

Bird name: White Backed Vulture
Latin: Gyps africanus
Other: African White-backed Vulture
Family: Accipitridae • Old World Vultures

I understand the darker birds are juvenile White-backed Vultures.More photos...

Photo copyright: AS/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Amboseli • Oct 2009

Bird name: African Fish Eagle
Latin: Haliaeetus vocifer
Other: African Sea Eagle
Family: Accipitridae • Sea Eagles

The African Fish Eagle is found across sub-Saharan, near lakes and rivers. It is a large powerful bird with a two-metre wingspan.More photos...

Photo copyright: AS/monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Amboseli • Oct 2009

Bird name: Bateleur
Latin: Terathopius ecaudatus
Other:
Family: Accipitridae • Eagles

The Bateleur is a strongly marked medium-sized eagle, with a very short tail, which makes it easy to identify in flight.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Itatiaia & Ubatuba November 2009

Bird name: Swallow Tailed Kite
Latin: Elanoides forficatus
Other: Gavião-tesoura (Br) • Elanio tijereta (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Kites

The Swallow Tailed Kite is unmistakable by its long deeply forked tail and contrasting black and white plumage.

Its range includes much of South America, excluding the southern cone, and extends right up into southern USA. The Swallow-tailed Kite can be found in most of Brazil.

This pair of Swallow-tailed Kites were seen in Ubatuba flying near a large group of White-collared Swifts.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Ubatuba, SP • November 2009

Bird name: Rufous Thighed Kite
Latin: Harpagus diodon
Other: Gavião-bombachinha
Family: Acciptridae • Kites

The Rufous-thighed Kite is a mimic of the Bicoloured Hawk, so novices (like me) find them difficult to differentiate.

Fortunately the Rufous-thighed Kite has yellow around the eye and the Bicolored Hawk doesn’t, so that’s an easier differentiator if you’re close enough.

The Bicolored Hawk also tends to be bigger and has more of a fierce aspect. But at least one type of adult of each have similar barred wings and tail, rufous underarms and thighs, and plain greyish chest and belly.

The Rufous-thighed Kite lives mostly in Brazil but its range spreads over to neighbouring countries.

Thanks to Rick for ID!More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Itatiaia, RJ • November 2009

Bird name: Rufous Thighed Hawk
Latin: Accipiter striatus erythronemius
Other: Sharp-shinned Hawk • Gavião-miúdo (Br) • Accipiter erythronemius
Family: Acciptridae • Hawks

The Rufous-thighed Hawk is a subspecies (or species split) of Sharp-shinned Hawk living in the southeast of Brazil.

This one took me by surprise flying fast across the valley right up in front of the hotel, where it was mobbed by large numbers of Cliff Flycatchers, seemingly also appearing from nowhere.

The Rufous-thighed Hawk is similar to the Bicolored Hawk but is more rufous and has horizontal stripes underneath.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe, RS • November 2009

Bird name: Roadside Hawk
Latin: Buteo magnirostris
Other: Rupornis magnirostris • Gavião-carijó (Br) • Gavilán pollero, Aguilucho de ala rojiza, Taguato común (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Hawks

The Roadside Hawk is present throughout Brazil and much of Latin America, from Mexico to northeastern Argentina, east of the Andes.

It has a dark head with pale irises and pale barred chest and underwings. Topside of wings are dark, with a rufous wing patch near fingers (just visible above on nearest wing).

Tail has thick brown and white horizontal stripes. Bill base is yellowish with dark tip and perhaps some light blue in the middle. More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe, RS • November 2009

Bird name: Savanna Hawk
Latin: Buteogallus meridionalis
Other: Heterospizias meridionalis • Gavião-caboclo (Br) • Gavilán cangrejero colorado, Busardo sabanero (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Hawks

The Savanna Hawk is a handsome bird, in tones of sienna and grey, with a light head and dark band running along the back of wings. The back is dark grey, with some grey extending into the upperside of the wings. The wings and body seen from below are mostly uniform finely-barred light rufous and grey, with dark fingertips.

The tail has one thick white band bordered by dark bands of brown, with some white at the tip. The Savannah Hawk has distinctive rufous “trousers”, yellow legs and yellow bill base with black tip.

Seen here on farmland, the Savannah Hawk is present throughout most of Brazil and is present in South America from Panama to Argentina.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe, RS • November 2009

Bird name: Long Winged Harrier
Latin: Circus buffoni
Other: Gavião-do-banhado, Tartaranhão-do-brejo (Br) • Aguilucho grande, Aguilucho de Azara, Gavilán planeador (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Harriers

The Long-winged Harrier was one of the more common birds of prey in the Lagoa do Peixe area. It lives in southeastern Brazil and neighbouring countries, migrating higher up South America in the winter, when it can be found as far north as Belem.

There are two types of Long-winged Harrier in Brazil, a light and a dark form, both of which were present near Mostardas. The pale form, above with frog, has a white belly and much white on underside of wings.

In the dark form, the light areas are replaced by black in the male and brown in the female. Both have rings round the neck, and a white face, with some dark around the eye. The tip of the bill is dark. The dark bars on light wings give the impression of small squares drawn on the underside of the wings.

Wings are long and swept back in a v-shape with long fingers.
More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Lagoa do Peixe, RS • November 2009

Bird name: Cinereous Harrier
Latin: Circus cinereus
Other: Gavião-cinza (Br) • Peuco, Varil, Aguilucho ceniciento, Gavilán ceniciento (Es)
Family: Accipitridae • Harriers

In Brazil, the Cinereous Harrier is found only in Rio Grande do Sul, usually only in the southern winter, but this one was seen in Mostardas in late November. Its typical range is the southern cone South American countries and across the Andes to Colombia.

This Cinereous Harrier looks like a male by its white underside of wings and rufous barred chest. Wing tips are dark, a dark band runs along the back of the wing. The top side of the wings are grey like the head and neck. It has a long, straight, very lightly-barred tail. Irises are yellow with some yellow at the base of the bill. Great-looking bird! The female is generally browner.

He was carrying a small bird, maybe a rail? and flying in woodland near the Lagoa do Peixe.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Mostardas, Brazil • November 2009

Bird name: Snail Kite
Latin: Rostrhamus sociabilis
Other: Gavião-caramujeiro (Br) • Caracolero común • Elanio caracolero • Gavilán caracolero • Milano caracolero
Family: Accipitridae • Kites

Snail Kites like nothing better than a large Apple Snail to eat - hence their name.

The farmer I was with, when I photographed these kites at a lake near Mostardas, told me that they were scavengers of rubbish, when I expressed surprise at the steady stream of them flying past. I don’t think they are scavengers, but when we visited the lake they were flying past about one every 200 metres.

The males (on left, below) are dark grey, with deep red legs, ceres and eyes and a thick black band on the tail behind a white rump. All Snail Kites have very hooked bills.

Females (on right, below) also have red eyes but yellow-orange legs and ceres,and brown wings with white showing rather like a common buzzard.

I would assume the other two types shown above with lighter faces (top two in the composite of birds on posts) are juveniles.

Snail Kites live mostly in eastern South America and the Caribbean, though they can also be found in Florida.

More photos...

Here’s another pale phase Booted Eagle seen a few days ago on the coast near Nice. Like the one I saw in January, (below), it seems a little out of range to be a resident, although it was circling and appeared to be hunting.

Typically a few dozen migrate along the coast towards Spain and Africa, so it may have been migrating. In 2004, exceptionally, 500 Booted Eagles were seen travelling up the coast from Spain, through the Pyrenees, along the Côte d’Azur eastwards and then presumably heading down through Italy to Africa.

Since then a few have still been coming this way. Although this is not the “normal” migration direction, this year, which is the first year I have observed migrating birds, quite a few birds appeared to be migrating “the wrong way”, including wood pigeons and birds of prey.

Other observers noticed similar behaviour, though whether the birds in question really were heading down Italy or were just flying back to the mountains for a thermal or another reason before continuing their journey to Spain, we had no way of knowing.

Booted Eagles can be much darker than these two individuals but always have pale patches around the inner primary feathers. Notice 6 “fingers” on wing tip, compared to buzzards 5.


Photos copyright: monacoeye • Vaugrenier - October • Camargue - January • France

Bird name: Booted Eagle
Latin: Aquila pennata
Other: Hieraaetus pennatus • Aigle Botté
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

I have it on good authority this was a Booted Eagle… Unusual for this area in the winter.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Alpes Maritimes • September 2009

Bird name: Honey Buzzard
Latin: Pernis apivorus
Other: Bondrée Apivore
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

It's the Honey Buzzard season in the mountains above Monaco.

Hundreds of Honey Buzzards will be flying down the coast in the next few days towards Spain and Africa.

I saw this one yesterday - my first - and several more today, flying very high, east to west.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Verdon • September 2009

Bird name: Griffon Vulture
Latin: Gyps fulvus
Other: Eurasian Griffon Vulture • Vautour fauve
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

The Griffon Vulture is a very large old world vulture with a two-and-a-half-metre wingspan - so quite a bit larger than a Golden Eagle.

These magnificent scavengers have been successfully reintroduced in the Gorges of Verdon, in the South of France, where this photo was taken. Otherwise their usual areas are Spain, Turkey etc.

They are very easy to see, gliding high above the gorge, but unfortunately too distant for good photos on this occasion - I’ll be going back off season to get some better shots. It was a bit of a fairground atmosphere when I visited mid-summer, way too much road traffic for a relaxed atmosphere…More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Alpes Maritimes • September 2009

Bird name: Short Toed Eagle
Latin: Circaetus gallicus
Other: Short Toed Snake Eagle • Circaète Jean le Blanc • Schlangenadler • Alangenarend • Biancone • Aguila Culebrera
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

The Short Toed Eagle preys mainly on snakes, but also small reptiles like lizards. It is predominantly light-coloured from below, with a dark head.

More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Camargue, France • Mar 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Western Marsh Harrier
Latin: Circus aeruginosus
Other: Busard des Roseaux • Eurasian Marsh Harrier
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

There were many Marsh Harriers seen in the Camargue when I visited in March.

September 2009: The Marsh Harriers have started their migration. Below was one flying above Monaco today.
More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Images: Entressen + • July 2009

Bird name: Black Kite
Latin: Milvus migrans
Other: Milan Noir • European Black Kite
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

Dozens of Black Kites seen in Entressen - on ground, on posts, a good twenty in one tree, another twenty or thirty in the air above, some catching dragonflies … quite a sight!

More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye.com • 2009 • Do not copy

Bird name: Bald Eagle
Latin: Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Other:
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

The Bald Eagle is the national bird of America. It lives in North America only. As one of 8 “sea eagles” the Bald Eagle forms a species pair with the White Tailed Eagle, which lives in Asia and Europe.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: White Tailed Eagle
Latin: Haliaeetus albicilla
Other: Sea Eagle • Erne • Ern • White-Tailed Sea-Eagle • Pygargue à Queue Blanche • Grand Aigle de Mer • Aigle Barbu
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

A superb bird, with a massive beak, the White-Tailed Eagle has a two metre wingspan and is the fourth largest eagle in the world. They can live to thirty years old.

The White Tailed Eagle is rare in Europe so the Danube Delta is a good place to see one. As this one approached on Caraorman Island he was mobbed by crows and then disappeared again.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye.com • Brazil May 2006 • Do not copy

Bird name: Mantled Hawk
Latin: Leucopternis polionotus
Other: Gavião Pombo Grande (br)
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

I saw this Mantled Hawk high above the forest, deep in the Mata Atlantica just south of São Paulo. Distinguishable by white rim feathers overlapping a black trailing wing edge.

Native to Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. IUCN status: Near Threatened.More photos...

Bird name: Common Buzzard
Latin: Buteo buteo
Other: Buse Variable
Family: Accipitridae • Birds of Prey

Photos: monacoeye • Camargue • Jan - Mar 2009

I saw these Common Buzzards by the side of the road in the back roads of the Camargue region, where they are not uncommon. More photos...