Warren 11Mar07

From Danny

The torquatus is a pretty bird, her crest is impressive. In the morning she hangs around the saf hut and in the evening roost on one of the tall trees among the cluster where we spotted many woodpeckers during our last trip (end of track b4 we turn along camp fences). Both JS & myself sat on the granite chips track till sunset with our scope focus on her - she didn't move at all except some preening b4 bed.

ID notes from Chaiyan

This is an adult female OHB, likely belongs to the resident race, torquatus since it has prominent crest, which is lacked in the migratory race orientalis or Eastern Honey-buzzard.

The non-feathered tarsus, thin bill and slit-liked nostril exclude all Spizaetus hawk-eagles and the pattern of uppertail and undertail barring excludes Jerdon's. Aging as adult is by thick dark subterminal band on trailing edge and yellow iris points to adult (iris color rather the same or not obviously different in both male and female OHB race of the peninsula e.g. torquatus). Late Laurence Poh and Bill Clark reported this observation in OBC bulletin a few years back.

Sex determination in this case is from the upper/undertail barring that the central barrings is not equal or wider than the subterminal band that is for female.