Honey Buzzard Research Articles

RECORDING OF THE SPRING MIGRATION OF SOARING BIRDS THROUGH GEBEL EL ZEIT, EASTERN DESERT, EGYPT

Egypt is an important pass for the soaring birds’ migration, as it is situated on the mainland connection between the Eurasian and African landmasses that connects breeding grounds in Eurasia with wintering zones in Africa. In the current study, the spring migration of soaring birds was studied along a narrow corridor “bottleneck site” located within the Red Sea/Rift Valley bird migration flyway, Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Over a period of four weeks from April 19th to 17th of May 2019, 89949 soaring birds of 27 species were counted during an eight-hour daily observation window. In total, 47511 raptors of 24 species were recorded. The most common were the group of Levant sparrowhawk “Accipter brevipes”, European honey buzzard “Pernis apivorus”, and Northern steppe buzzard “Buteo buteo vulpinus” forming 33.16%, 32.08%, and 24.91% of all raptors, respectively; while combined black kite “Milvus migrans”, lesser spotted eagle “Aquila pomarine”, steppe eagle “Aquila nipalensis”, short-toed eagle “Circaetus gallicus”, booted eagle “Aquila pennata”, and Egyptian vulture “Neophron percnopterus” recorded more than 6% of the raptor assemblage. In addition, 15 greater spotted eagle “Aquila clanga”, 6 pallid harrier “Circus macrourus”, and 5 Eurasian griffon vulture “Gyps fulvus” were recorded during the observations. Other soaring birds were recorded during the study-time, the most common were: 36700 white stork “Ciconia Ciconia”, 4230 great white pelican “Pelecanus onocrotalus”, and 1500 black stork “Ciconia nigra”.

Interspecific correlations toward climatic factors in migratory raptor species across Mt. Sega, Karangasem, Bali

It has been known that climate change can affect organisms in various ways. For example, studies found that climate change affect phenology i.e. migratory arrival of migratory species. This study was aimed to find out whether the migratory arrival of five species of bird of prey flying across Mt. Sega Karangasem – Bali correlates with climate factors in the region. This study took place from 1 October to 30 November 2018 by using look up method, and found that air temperature, cloud cover, humidity, and air pressure had a stronger correlation toward the migratory bird of prey species that crossed over the Mt. Sega compared to wind speed and precipitation. The air temperature, cloud cover and wind speed had a positive correlation toward the migratory bird of prey arrival, whereas the negative correlation was demonstrated by humidity, air pressure, and precipitation. The presence of the Chinese Sparrow-hawk and the Short-toed Snake Eagle were correlated with the humidity. Whereas the presence of the Peregrine falcon was correlated with the cloud cover. The presence of the Oriental Honey Buzzard was correlated with the wind speed, while the precipitation and air pressure were correlated with the presence of the Japanese Sparrow-hawk. The Japanese Sparrow-hawk arrived earlier at 10.00 whereas the other four species arrived later at around 12.00.

Shift in proximate causes of mortality for six large migratory raptors over a century

Delayed maturity and low reproductive rate make raptors naturally sensitive to high mortality rates, yet a wide variety of human-related threats negatively affect their population dynamics and persistence over time. We modelled the variability in the proximate causes of mortality associated with six species of large migratory raptors characterized by different ecological traits. We tested the hypothesis that species-specific mortality signals occur owing to differential exposure to threats in space and time. We relied on an unprecedently large dataset of ring (band) recovery (31,269 records) over a period of >100 years. Our findings suggested that mortality of these birds has declined dramatically since the late 1970s. We found species-specific seasonal patterns of mortality, with higher mortality rates during early life-stages. For Black Kite, Common Buzzard, and Osprey, mortality increased with distance travelled and decreased with distance from migratory bottlenecks. Human-related mortality was higher than natural mortality (47% vs 5.6%), but after 1979 indirect anthropogenic factors increased, while direct ones decreased. Raptors showed differential specific exposure to mortality causes (direct human: Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier; indirect human: Common Buzzard, Black Kite; direct and indirect human: Osprey; natural: Montagu's Harrier). Conservation efforts and international laws have helped lower mortality caused directly by humans, but new emerging human-related threats are impacting migratory raptors and call for advanced conservation efforts. In a fast-changing world, anticipating future threats is key to stemming losses and boosting future preservation.

Tree cover density attracts rare bird of prey specialist to nest in urban forest

Urban forests are important hotspots of biodiversity in the environment of cities and their surroundings but may also stand out from neighbouring forests by greater tree species diversity, higher tree age and greater share of deciduous species. However, they are usually not connected with nesting of rare birds of prey, especially dietary specialists. Unexpectedly, I have found Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus nesting in such a forest in a 300,000-inhabitant city in North-Eastern Poland. The male of this pair was caught and fitted with a global positioning system logger. Using a tree cover density raster, I show that both for nesting and foraging, Honey Buzzards preferred dense canopies. Even with anthropogenic disturbance, the urban forest still offered the best conditions (greatest tree cover) for this specialist species in a 10 km radius. This finding shows that the advantages of some features of urban forests (deciduous character, dense canopy) can overcome disadvantages of the urban environment even for rare, large raptors. Also tree cover density seems a promising indicator of biodiversity in urban forests and should be tested in larger studies.

Pemantauan Jenis Burung Pemangsa Pada Migrasi Arus Datang Di Gunung Sega, Karangasem Bali

Bird of prey migration is a phenomenon that occurs twice every year, namely the autumn migration and the spring migration. In Indonesia, autumn migration is also known as go-away migration, while spring migration is known as backflow migration. This study aimed to determine the species of birds of prey that pass on Mount Sega, Karangasem Bali during autumn migration in 2018. The study was conducted on 1 October - 30 November 2018 on Mt. Sega, Karangasem Bali using a method from Hume (1993). The species of birds of prey that were recorded were 7 species, consisting of 5 migrant species and 2 resident species. The migrant species recorded were the Chinese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter soloensis), the Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), the Crested Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), the Peregrine Falcon (Falco perigrinus), and the Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus). The resident species recorded were the Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) and the Spotted Kestrel (Falco moluccensis).
 Keywords: Accipiter, bird of prey, migration, Mt. Sega

Dynamics of the energy seascape can explain intra-specific variations in sea-crossing behaviour of soaring birds.

Thermal soaring birds extract energy from the atmosphere to achieve energetically low-cost movement. When encountering regions that are energetically costly to fly over, such as open seas, they should attempt to adjust the spatio-temporal pattern of their passage to maximize energy extraction from the atmosphere over these ecological barriers. We applied the concept of energy landscapes to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of energy availability over the open sea for soaring flight. We specifically investigated how the 'energy seascape' may shape age-specific sea-crossing behaviour of European honey buzzards, Pernis apivorus, over the Mediterranean Sea in autumn. We found uplift potential over the sea to be the main determinant of sea-crossing distance, rather than wind conditions. Considering this variable as a proxy for available energy over the sea, we constructed the energy seascape for the autumn migration season using 40 years of temperature data. Our results indicate that early-migrating adult buzzards are likely to encounter adverse energy subsidence over the Mediterranean, whereas late-migrating juveniles face less adverse flight conditions, and even conditions conducive to soaring flight. Our study provides evidence that the dynamics of the energy landscape can explain intra-specific variation in migratory behaviour also at sea.

Highly skewed sex and age ratios of European Honey Buzzard in southern Africa

Sex and age segregation on the non-breeding grounds is common in raptor species. We studied the European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) on its southern African non-breeding grounds to examine changes in sex and age ratios over a period of recent population expansion (2002–2017). Photographs from multiple open sources were analysed. The adult population was found to be overwhelmingly female (93.3%) with no significant variation over months, years, or latitudes. This supports the arrival-time hypothesis, which states that the sex responsible for establishing the breeding territory (the male in honey buzzard) will spend the non-breeding period closest to the breeding grounds, allowing them to reduce intrasexual competition for breeding territories. Juvenile and second year birds (41.6% of the population) were more common at lower elevations, as well as further south in the sub-region. This is likely due to a funnelling effect of inexperienced juvenile birds further south and to coastal zones. In addition, juvenile birds do not return to the breeding grounds for at least 2 years, so may be more likely to migrate further south. Finally, second year birds increase later in the austral summer. This may be a result of both juvenile birds moulting into more adult plumage, and a southward intra-continental movement of young honey buzzards in Africa.

A New Approach to Assessment of Bird Carcass Removal (Scavenging) Time on Wind Farm in Egypt

Abstract Wind farms developing rapidly in order to meet the high demand for energy from green sources. However, the impact of wind farm operation on the environment still needs to be established. The risk to wild birds is drawing the attention of stakeholders and bird conservation organizations. Carcass search is the main method used to assess the impact of wind farm operation on wild birds of various systematic groups and sizes. Assessment of the overall risk that wind farms pose to birds depends primarily on accurate calculation of carcass removal times and the detection ability of the searcher. Most studies have assessed the carcass removal time using pet bird species, pigeons, or various local birds. In Egypt, all studies conducted in operating wind farms up to 2016 had used chickens to assess the carcass removal time and in this way to the estimate the total number of bird fatalities within wind farms. The use of birds killed by a wind farm in carcass removal trials provides the actual time of carcass disappearance, in contrast with the use of other bird species. The removal times of carcasses of parakeets, quails, partridges and chickens were shorter than those of carcasses of White Stork, White Pelican, Honey Buzzard, Black Kites and eagles used in the current study and in another study in Australia. The results of the present study indicate that carcasses of birds killed within the studied wind farm remain for two to three months, while the carcasses of other in species other localities remain no more than 1 to 15 days, which unquestionably influences the calculation of total fatalities and leads to overestimation of the overall risk that wind farms for birds.

Population dynamics and types of habitats at breeding sites of raptors (Falconiformes) of the Donetsk Ridge along a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance

Studies of diurnal birds of prey may be quite indicative of the state of natural ecosystems and of the level of impact of human-induced factors on their functions. The aim of this work was to analyse the long-term dynamics of the raptor populations within the Donetsk Ridge, to identify which habitat or habitat mosaics are preferred in nesting territories and home ranges depending on the level of anthropogenic transformation of the environment. The studies were conducted in 1999–2019. The total length of the walking routes was 2,864 km while a distance of 1,548 km was covered by car routes. 306 nests of the birds of prey or those potentially belonging to the members of this group were found and re-examined. The long-term dynamics of the population of Falconiformes was characterized by a general decline in the numbers of most species. There was a loss of representatives of the boreal and desert-steppe faunistic complexes and simultaneous increase in the participation of representatives of the nemoral and forest steppe faunistic complexes associated with the floodplain forests of the Siversky Donets River valley and the bayrak oak forests of the central part of the Donetsk Ridge. The impact of the anthropogenic factor on the dynamics of the population of the birds of prey is ambiguous. For the species which are sensitive to changes in the environment, such as the European Honey Buzzard, the Northern Goshawk, the Merlin and the Red-footed Falcon, a general negative dynamics of the populations is observed. The positive trend in the numbers of the Long-legged Buzzard and the Saker Falcon is linked to the expansion of the both species into the territory of the Donetsk Ridge. The habitat structure of the nesting territories is quite diverse in different species of diurnal birds of prey. This is especially noticeable in the ratio of forest and grassland habitats. Based on the selectivity index, we found that the vast majority of the raptors of the Donetsk Ridge prefer temperate broad-leaved forests when choosing nesting territories. The structure of the home ranges of all forest species of diurnal birds of prey not only depends on the optimal ratio of open and forested areas but on the presence of ecotones of considerable length which originated in the complex mosaics of habitat complexes. The stable number of dendrophiles and the disappearance (decrease in number) of sclerophiles and campophiles indicates the least anthropogenic transformation of forest habitats and a radical transformation of open spaces – meadows and steppes. The most successful were eurytopic birds of prey and species with pronounced anthropotolerance.

Notes of Honey Buzzard and Other Birds in Dumai and Rupat Island, Riau Province, Indonesia

Dumai are a town that located coastal area in the Nothern part of Pekan Baru, a capital city of Riau Province (1o 41’ 04.1” N, 101o 26’ 14,1” E). Dumai is margined directly by Rupat Island and Bengkalis Island in the North and Duri District in the South and East. On February 17, survey is conducted in Dumai harbour which vegetation are dominated rural plant and small scale mangrove. Only few records of bird are reported on 1980 such as storm stork Ciconia stormi (Holmes 1980).

Olfaction in raptors

AbstractRaptors from the orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes have been considered to rely principally on vision. Historically, this assumption has led scientists to discount any possible sense of smell in these birds, until work on cathartid vultures indicated that these species at least rely on olfaction to find carrion. In this review I provide evidence that raptors in general have functional olfactory systems that they may use in a range of different contexts. Anatomical studies show that raptors have well-developed olfactory bulbs that are within the range of other bird species. Furthermore, all raptors studied have multiple functional olfactory genes, with, for instance, 283 olfactory genes in the Oriental honey buzzard, Pernis orientalis, of which 81.5% are functional. It has also been shown that some raptors species may functionally use olfactory cues to forage and, potentially, for communication. While further research is required, the available evidence suggests that olfaction may be a more important sensory modality in these birds than previously thought.

Servicios de la avifauna (high-mobile link species) en mosaicos agroforestales: regeneración forestal y regulación de plagas

Rebollo, S., Rey-Benayas, J.M., Villar-Salvador, P., Perez-Camacho, L., Castro, J., Molina-Morales, M., Leverkus, A.B., Baz, A., Martinez-Baroja, L., Quiles, P., Gomez-Sanchez, D., Fernandez-Pereira, J.M., Meltzer, J., Monteagudo, N., Ballesteros, L., Cayuela, L., de las Heras, D. Garcia-Salgado, G., Martinez-Hesterkamp, S. 2019. Services provided by birds (high-mobile link species) in farmland and forest mosaics: forest regeneration and plague regulation. Ecosistemas 28(2): 32-41. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.1736 The elements that support functions and ecosystem services are not well known yet, and this gap reduces our capacity to plan the conservation, restoration, and management of ecosystems. Among these elements, the role of avifauna is especially relevant as birds are high-mobile link species that connect different landscape units. This article analyzes important ecosystem services driven by biological interactions that are mediated by birds in farmland and forest mosaics. We propose three specific goals: to assess the role of (1) corvids in the dispersal and recruitment of oak species, (2) insectivorous birds in pest regulation of woody crops, and (3) raptors in regulation of plague birds in vineyards. Our results show that the avifauna performs key functions and services for forest regeneration and pest regulation in agroforestry mosaics. We identified species that were not known to perform relevant functions, particularly the magpie (Pica pica) and its effective dispersion of nuts and acorns, and the honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) and its high consumption of Asian black hornet (Vespa velutina). The installation of nest-boxes in woody crops increases the populations of insectivorous birds that regulate pests; however, the capacity of pest control is moderate and depends on the environmental context or case study. The diurnal raptors thriving in the studied landscapes contribute to the control of agricultural pests such as the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor). We propose to integrate the services provided by birds in landscape planning to achieve more sustainable development systems.

Exploitation of the invasive Asian Hornet Vespa velutina by the European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus

ABSTRACTThis paper reports the first case of predation on the nests of Asian Hornet Vespa velutina by the European Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus, as well as the use of this resource by a breeding pair to provision their nestlings. The Asian Hornet is listed among the 100 most invasive alien species and is expanding in Western Europe. Our finding opens the door to a number of questions, including the effects of this additional allochthonous resource on the European Honey Buzzard populations, as well as the potential of this raptor as a biocontrol agent.

Seasonal contrasts in individual consistency of oriental honey buzzards' migration.

Individual consistency in migration can shine light on the mechanisms of migration. Most studies have reported that birds are more consistent in the timing than in the routes or stopover sites during migration, but some specialist species showed the opposite patterns, being more consistent in spatial than temporal aspects of migration. One possible explanation for this contrast is that specialists rely on particular food or habitat resources, which restrict the migratory routes they can take, leading to high spatial consistency. If this is the case, the effect of specialist foraging should become apparent only when birds forage, instead of fasting and flying continuously. To test this effect, we analysed individual consistency in migration of the oriental honey buzzard ( Pernis ptilorhynchus), a specialist raptor that feeds on honeybees and wasps, using a long-term tracking dataset. As honey buzzards make extended stopovers during which they forage in spring but not in autumn, the spatial consistency should be higher in spring than in autumn. Honey buzzards were highly consistent in both their migratory routes and stopover sites in Southeast Asia, but only during spring migration. Our results highlight an important link between species' migratory consistency and foraging ecology.

Evidence of large‐scale range shift in the distribution of a Palaearctic migrant in Africa

AbstractAimLong‐distance Palaearctic migrant birds are declining at a faster rate than short‐distance migrant or resident species. This is often attributed to changes on their non‐breeding grounds and along their migratory routes. The European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is a scarce migrant in southern Africa that is declining globally. This study assessed the distribution and abundance of honey buzzards in southern Africa over the past four decades and compared it to trends in the East African population to examine possible drivers of population expansion in southern Africa.LocationSouthern and East Africa.MethodsEuropean honey buzzard reporting data were collected from a variety of sources including citizen science databases (1983–2017). In addition, records of all other southern African vagrants (including ten other regularly occurring species) were gathered to account for changes in birdwatching effort in the subregion. To assess the effect of forest loss on honey buzzard abundance, rolling correlations were performed using forest cover in East Africa and number of honey buzzard records in both subregions.ResultsEuropean honey buzzard records in southern Africa have increased over five times more than other regularly occurring vagrant species and almost 40 times more than honey buzzard in Tanzania, where the population has remained stable. Loss of forested area in East Africa was correlated with an increase in European honey buzzard records in southern Africa.Main conclusionsWe suggest that the European honey buzzard shift in wintering range may be driven by a decline in suitable habitat further north in Africa amongst other possible reasons. This effect may have been amplified by an increase in appropriate habitat across southern Africa brought about by anthropogenic changes to vegetation such as increased tree cover in urban areas. This study further highlights the importance of using African distributional data banks to understand the effects of global change on Palaearctic migrant bird species.

Hindgut Bacterial Flora Analysis in Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus).

The intestinal microbiome is known to affect host health through various effects on nutrition and immunity. The oriental honey buzzard (OHB) is a raptor that feeds on bees and wasps. Due to its restricted diet, we reasoned that the OHB may have a unique microbiome. The aim of this study was to characterize the structure of the intestinal flora of oriental honey buzzards and to investigate the difference of intestinal bacterial flora between individuals in the wild and those reared in captivity. We investigated the intestinal microbiome of seven wild buzzards (Wild), one zoo-reared (Zoo), and one individual reared in captivity for one month (Rearing). Average operational taxonomic units in Wild and Rearing were 69.4 and 113, respectively. Diversity indices such as ACE, Chao 1, Shannon, and Alpha were significantly lower in the Wild than in the Rearing samples. These results suggest that the variety of Wild microbiome is remarkably low. At the phylum level, the composition of the microbiome was similar in all three groups, with firmicutes and bacteroidetes predominating. The third most abundant bacterium in Wild was Proteobacteria, whereas it was Actinobacteria in Rearing and unclassified bacteria in Zoo. Thus, microbiome composition is affected even with just one month of human rearing.

Diurnal birds of prey of national nature park ‘Dvorichanskyi’ and adjacent territories

The studies of species composition and abundance of diurnal birds of prey may be quite indicative of the state of natural ecosystems and of the level of impact of human-induced factors on their functions. Such studies are particularly important within the protected areas taking into account unfavourable conservation status of many species of the group. The status, abundance, aspects of habitat distribution and breeding habitat preferences of diurnal birds of prey were studied within national nature park ‘Dvorichanskyi’ and adjacent territories (750 sq. km, Dvorichanskyi district, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine) in 2010–2018. 22 species were registered. The breeding of six species was confirmed e.g. Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo), Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus). The breeding of four more species is considered probable namely Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and Hobby (Falco subbuteo). There are indications of possible breeding of Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). The rest of the species are migrating and/or wintering. The most numerous breeding species is Common Buzzard. The abundance of Booted Eagle is comparatively high that discerns the study area from other parts of Kharkiv Region. 40 nests of birds of prey were carefully inspected. The majority were found in ravine steppe forests (83%). Oak, alder and willow flood-plain forests are very important breeding habitats for Black Kite and Booted Eagle while ravine steppe forests are those for Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard and Booted Eagle. Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) is the most favourable tree species for building the nests (47.5% of all inspected nests) followed by European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) (15%) and European pear (Pyrus communis) (10%).

Current condition of the ornithofauna of the Alexandria Dendrological Park

The species composition of birds of the Alexandria Dendrological Park has been analyzed. The studies were conducted in 2008–2018. In total 148 bird species were registered (35% of the ornithofauna of Ukraine). Birds were analyzed by biotopic groups, nature of stay and type of nesting. It was found that in the conditions of the Alexandria Dendrological Park, the dominant ecological groups were dendrophiles (80 species). According to the nature of their stay, nesting birds accounted for 90 species, migratory – 48 species, wintering – 31 species. Depending on the type of nesting, canopy-nesting and hole-nesting birds prevailed – 27.8 and 24.4% respectively. Representatives of Piciformes and Passeriformes make up a significant part of the nesting species, which is 10 and 57.8% respectively. Falconiformes are represented by 4 species, which is 4.4% of the total number of nesting species. The value of the park also consists in the presence of favorable wetlands for wintering and forage migration of a number of taxon birds in its territory. As a result, the bird population is growing. The emergence of new bird species in recent years can provide a unique indication of the importance of ornithocenosis in these areas. This concerns in particular Green Woodpecker, Black kite, Honey Buzzard, Night Heron, Stock Dove, Spotted Crake. It has been established that new species appear in the park, settling from nearby or remote areas. During the years of observation, 9 species from the Red Data Book of Ukraine (Ciconia nigra, Netta rufina, Haliaeetus albicilla, Milvus migrans, Buteo rufinus, Pandion haliaetus, Bucephala clangula, Picus viridis, Columba oenas) have been recorded. The factors influencing the species composition of birds have been analyzed. They include felling of trees, thinning of shrubs, uncontrolled recreation and direct predation from dogs. One of the main problems limiting the number of birds in the park is trespassing of logging processes, in particular during the nesting period. In the future, more comprehensive studies are planned on the quantitative composition of birds, as well as features of the topical distribution according to the biocenosis.

Flight Altitude of Migrating European Honey Buzzards Facing the Open Sea

Abstract Migrating birds adjust their behaviour in order to reach their final destination safely and in a timely manner. In doing so, they fly at different altitudes, but unlike passerines, raptors do not explore all air levels searching for the best tailwind assistance. Soaring species migrate over the mainland using updrafts to optimize soaring-gliding flight and reaching higher altitudes during midday. However, there is little information on which variables affect their flight altitude when facing the open sea, where thermals are very weak and they are forced to use powered flapping flight for a long time. To fill this gap, we recorded the flight altitude of migrating European Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus as they crossed the Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean) and passed over a small island. During four migratory seasons, we recorded the altitudes of birds when they reached the NE coast of Ustica, a volcanic island between Sicily and central Italy, and analysed data in relation to several variables. The results showed that the tendency to continue migrating, flock size, and wind speed are the most important features in explaining height variation in migrating European Honey Buzzards facing the open sea.

Complete mitogenomes of two Accipitridae, Haliaeetus albicilla, and Pernis ptilorhynchus

We performed high-throughput sequencing on the complete mitogenomes of two raptors, white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) and oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus). This is the first time that the complete mitogenomes from Accipitridae subfamies, Haliaeetinae, and Perninae have been sequenced. Respectively, H. albicilla and P. ptilorhynchus mitogenomes were 17,719 and 17,927 bp base pairs long. The ND3 gene in both raptors possessed an insertion mutation, whereas only P. ptilorhynchus ND6 had two mutations. Our results benefit future raptor research through expanding the mitogenome database.