54 Crested Honey Buzzards at Batumi: almost twice the average

In a report published on 20 September, Batumi Raptor Count wrote that 54 Crested Honey Buzzards (Pernis ptilorhynchus) had passed its count stations so far this season. That is almost twice its average of 28.

They were picked out from a much larger stream. Hundreds of thousands of European Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus) cross the bottleneck every autumn, and the Crested Honey Buzzards fly among them.

According to the report, a Crested Honey Buzzard first stands out as an unusually large bird in the flock. At first glance it can be mistaken for an eagle. A closer look shows the familiar honey buzzard shape, but with a larger hand with six “fingers” — the long, separated primary feathers at the wingtip. The plumage then confirms the identification.

This atlas does not yet have a separate page for the Crested Honey Buzzard. How it differs from its European relative is also covered on the European Honey Buzzard profile.

Batumi Raptor Count calls Batumi the only place in the Western Palearctic where Crested Honey Buzzards are reliably seen on migration. Many visiting birders and volunteers come to the count hoping to see one.

In Adjara, north of Batumi, sea and mountains squeeze the autumn migration route into a narrow corridor. According to the report, these birds also show how large the area is from which migrants funnel towards the count stations. The authors ask how many of the common raptors counted at Batumi breed at least as far east. They leave that question open. More species from the corridor are on the birds hub.

The figure of 54 is from 20 September. The 2026 autumn count runs until 21 October, so the season total for the species may be higher. Batumi Raptor Count’s 27 September report says a day of 54,406 birds took the season total for all raptors past one million.

Earlier reports from the corridor are in News.