Wildlifeof China
Upland Buzzard
Birds of Prey
Photo: no rights reserved · CC0 1.0
Buteo hemilasius
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly small mammals; also birds, insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, and eggs
Range
Tibetan Plateau and central Asia; short-distance migrant
Size
57–72cm
Wingspan
143–161cm
Weight
Tibetan Plateau birds averaged about 1,557g
The upland buzzard is a bird of prey with a total length of 57–72cm and a wingspan of 143–161cm. It is fairly similar in plumage to other buzzards and may need to be told from the overlapping long-legged, Himalayan and eastern buzzards. Fourteen birds on the Tibetan Plateau averaged 639mm in length, including a tail of 289mm, and a body mass of 1,557g (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is migratory but typically covers a short distance, apparently to avoid snow cover that may hamper prey capture. It primarily lives on small mammals but does not shun small to large birds and insects, sometimes taking beetles and grasshoppers from the ground and occasionally eating birds' eggs (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Upland Buzzard eat?
- Mainly small mammals; also birds, insects such as beetles and grasshoppers, and eggs
- Where is the Upland Buzzard found?
- Tibetan Plateau and central Asia; short-distance migrant
- How big is the Upland Buzzard?
- 57–72cm
- What is the wingspan of the Upland Buzzard?
- 143–161cm
- How much does the Upland Buzzard weigh?
- Tibetan Plateau birds averaged about 1,557g