Long-legged Buzzard

The long-legged buzzard is a bird of prey with a relatively large bill on a smallish head, long wings, a rather long tail and relatively long legs with powerful feet. It is highly variable in plumage, with three or four main morphs, and the pale morph adult's tail is light rufous-orange. It is 50–66 cm long with a wingspan of 112–163 cm and a mean of about 145 cm, and live Indian birds measured 1,000–1,300 g, 46–55 cm and 129–150 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).

It ranges from south-eastern Europe to East Africa and the northern Indian subcontinent, and vagrants have been recorded as far south as Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. It is adaptable to a variety of habitats and may nest on rocks, cliffs and trees. Juvenile plumage lasts two or three years, until first breeding. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, a winter migrant of non-specialised habitat with a Large range and an inconclusive long-term trend of about −68% (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).