Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Buteo oreophilus and B. trizonatus (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as B. oreophilus following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993).
Taxonomic source(s)
Clark, W. S. 2007. Taxonomic status of the Forest Buzzard Buteo oreophilus trizonatus. Ostrich 78(1): 101-104.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | D1 |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Near Threatened | D1 |
| 2017 | Near Threatened | D1 |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2014 | Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | High |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 179,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 869,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Severely Fragmented | - |
| Value | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | 670-6700 | poor | suspected | 2009 |
| Population trend | Stable | suspected | - | |
| Decline (3 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (5 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/1 generation past) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation future) | - | - | - | |
| Decline (10 years/3 generation past and future) | - | - | - | |
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Percentage in largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 6.94 | - | - | - |
Population justification: The population is estimated to number 1,000-10,000 individuals, roughly equating to 670-6,700 mature individuals. However, a more precise estimate of the population size is urgently required.
Trend justification: There is uncertainty over the population trend. Using data from the first and second South African Bird Atlas Project (SABAP; SABAP1 1987-1992; SABAP2 2007-2014), Cooper et al. (2017) found that there was an 8% contraction in range. Lee et al. (2017) suggest a range decline of 14% with a core range decline of 3% between the SABAP recording periods. Additionally, data from Global Forest Watch suggest that over the past 21 years (three generations), there has been negligible forest loss in the species' range (Global Forest Watch 2021).
However, the spread of plantations within its range is potentially beneficial for the species, with the afforestation of grasslands increasing the potential habitat (see e.g., Allan et al. 1997; Cooper 2015). Such spread of plantations led Ferguson-Lees and Christie (2001) to suggest that the species may in fact be increasing. There are reports that forest buzzards use Eucaplyptus species as nesting sites (Hirsch et al. 2020).
Given the uncertainty over the trend it is tentatively assessed as stable, but further work is urgently required to assess whether the species may in fact be in decline.
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Presence | Resident | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | N | Extant | Yes |
| Country/Territory | IBA Name |
|---|---|
| South Africa | Soutpansberg |
| South Africa | Wolkberg Forest Belt |
| South Africa | Blyde River Canyon |
| South Africa | Mac-Mac Escarpment and Forests |
| South Africa | Kaapsehoop |
| South Africa | Songimvelo Nature Reserve |
| South Africa | Grasslands |
| South Africa | Maloti Drakensberg Park |
| South Africa | KwaZulu-Natal Mistbelt Forests |
| South Africa | Karkloof Nature Reserve |
| South Africa | Katberg - Readsdale forest complex |
| South Africa | Amatole Forest Complex |
| South Africa | Woody Cape Section: Addo Elephant National Park |
| South Africa | Tsitsikama - Plettenberg Bay |
| South Africa | Boland Mountains |
| South Africa | Outeniqua mountains |
| South Africa | Langeberg Mountains |
| South Africa | Wilderness - Sedgefield Lakes Complex |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Temperate | major | resident |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 1000 m | Occasional altitudinal limits | (max) 1500 m |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations - Agro-industry plantations | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | - | - | - | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Species factsheet: Buteo trizonatus. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 01/04/2023.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2023) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 01/04/2023.
