Crested Honey Buzzard

English Name: Crested Honey Buzzard 
Scientific Name: Pernis ptilorhynchus
Arabic Name: عُقَيِّبٌ عَسَلِيَّةٌ شَرْقِيَّةُ
Status in Kuwait: Rare passage migrant and winter visitor.
Highest daily count: 12 on 06/09/2014 at Jahra East Outfall. First records.

The Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus is now common wintering species in Kuwait. It is the Crested Honey-buzzard (Northern) Pernis ptilorhynchus orientalis subspecies that occur in Kuwait. Other subspecies (Indomalayan) are mostly resident species. Its breeding grounds are in south-central Siberia (north Mongolia), then east into Amurland and Sakhalin, and then south to northeast China and Korea, and Japan (Source: Birdsoftheworld.org). This subspecies is large and long-winged compared to European Honey Buzzard, lacks the dark carpal patch on the underwings of that species, and shows six primary fingers rather than five as in European Honey Buzzard. Further, males have dark eyes, not yellow as in Europeans, but females show yellow eyes. It usually shows a dark “U” spot on the crop; when it shows well, it is diagnostic! However, hybrids Crested/European Honey Buzzard do occur but are scarce/rare. They can show mixed plumage features; they could have a carpal patch but five fingers etc.