Atlas Long-legged Buzzard morphs by Andrea Corso

An nice analysis of the plumage variability of the Atlas Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis) has just been published by the Italian raptor specialist Andrea Corso in Birding Frontiers entitled “How many morphs do we know for Atlas Long-legged Buzzard?”. In this article, Andrea discussed in details the main plumage types exhibited by this taxon in Northern Africa (pale, rufous and darker plumages). Of interest also is his description of the difficulty in the identification of rusty-brown and grey-brown birds which are found mostly on the northern part of the distribution range, that’s around the Strait of Gibraltar (and this is because of the risk of confusion with same morphs of buteo and vulpinus). And this remind as of the "Gibraltar Buzzard" which are said to combine to a variable degree features from Atlas Long-legged Buzzards and Steppe Buzzards (Buteo buteo vulpinus). Andrea is preparing an extensive article about “Identification of Atlas Long-legged Buzzard” that will be published in the Dutch Birding.

Feel free to describe the morphs of the following birds after reading the article:

Atlas Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis), Anti-Atlas (Samuel De Rycke)

 Atlas Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis), Middle Atlas. (Elizabeth Woodwell)

Atlas Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis), Jbel Bouhachem, Rif. (Rachid El Khamlichi)

Atlas Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus cirtensis), Middle Atlas. (Said Lahrouz)

Mohamed Amezian