(Butastur indicus)

サシバ

A crow-sized hawk, and is a summer visitor. Its soft call, Pee quick pee quick, teaches us the arriving of this hawk at its breeding territory. The head and upper part are brawn. Creamy eyebrow is conspicuous. The throat is white with a clear dark stripe in the center. Underpart is barred, but that of young bird is streaked. The plumage has some variation, dark individuals sometimes seen.

This hawk breeds in hill valley having narrow paddy field. The hawk preys frogs, reptiles, arthropods, insects and other small animals on ground near water or stream. Therefore, the breeding of this hawk largely depends on paddy field filled with water.

Formally this hawk was common, but now substantially decreased in recent decades. Many farmers have stopped rice cultivation in the paddy field in hilly areas, because of the low economic efficiency of the narrow field. After stopping the cultivation, these fields gradually turned to bush or wood land. These fields are now not to suitable for the foraging of this hawk.

Some conservation projects for this hawk have started in Japan. The breeding range of this hawk is from Honshu to Kyushu. No breeding is recorded in Hokkaido and Ryukyu Islands. Some individuals winter in Ryukyu Island. Breeding of this hawk in northern Honshu is rather rare.

Migration of this hawk at Cape Irago, the tip of Atsumi Peninsula, Aichi is a great spectacle. In late September to early October, the hawks gather at Cape Irago, The flock of the hawk starts to fly in early morning. Across the Irago Strait, the hawks fly to Ise, Mie. Number of the hawk observed fluctuates substantially day by day, and is depend on weather. Besides, Grey-faced Hawk, Honey Buzzard, Sparrow Hawk, Lesser Sparrow Hawk, and Hobby migrate through Cape Irago. The fly way in Mie is not so clear, and is thought to change by wind direction.


In flyway of their wintering site, the hardest flight is that from Okinawa Island to Miyako Island. The distance is about 300 km, and there is any stopover islet between the islands. Several watching points are known throughout Japan.

A small number of this hawk winters in Ryukyu Islands, where the hawk can find enough prey in winter. Most of the bird migrates more and winters in Philippines, Indochina Peninsula and southern China.

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