RAPTOR RAPTURE

[The Hemisphere Kid]

Twice a year, thousands of raptors fill the skies over Tanjong Tuan, in Malaysia. Raptors are also called birds of prey. Eagles, buzzards, falcons, harriers, hawks, vultures and owls are all raptors. They have strong feet, sharp talons and keen eyesight. Five kinds of raptor usually visit Tanjong Tuan. They are the Crested Honey Buzzard, Grey-faced Buzzard, Black Baza, Japanese Sparrowhawk and Chinese Goshawk.

The raptors migrate between South-East Asia and Japan, China and Siberia. As they fly from Sumatra to Malaysia, they instinctively choose the shortest path across the Straits of Malacca, proving they are far from bird-brained! They avoid the dangers of long flights over the open sea but their journey is still not an easy one. Up to half of them may not make it home each year.

Why do these beautiful, powerful birds make this difficult trip twice a year? It’s because of the climate. In October and November, the northern parts of Asia start to get cold, so the raptors fly south to warmer countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. In February and March, the northern regions warm up again and the birds return home to breed.

Luckily, raptors are some of Nature’s most skillful and spectacular fliers. They soar upwards on thermals -- columns of hot air rising from the ground -- and glide from one thermal to the next. This means they don’t have to waste energy flapping their wings to fly. And watching them circle and swoop is a thrilling sight for us!

You may wonder how the birds know which way home is. That question puzzled humans for thousands of years. Today, scientists have discovered that birds use the Earth’s magnetic field, the movement of the sun and stars and clues such as winds, smells, sights and sounds to guide them.

The Crested Honey-Buzzard, which gets its name from its fondness for eating the larvae of honey bees and wasps, is the largest (61 cm/24 in) raptor you might see at Tanjong Tuan. You can recognize this raptor by the small crest of feathers on the back of its head. Although it has a loud, high-pitched, it is usually silent during migration. It likes to fly in a group with other Crested Honey-Buzzards, often in a long queue.

You can recognize the Grey-faced Buzzard (46 cm/18 in) by its very long wings and strong markings. It also makes a unique “chi-kwee” call. Some people think it not only eats lizards and insects, but also rats!

The Black Baza is a smallish (33 cm/13 in) black-and-white raptor that likes to travel with its friends and family close around it. It will eat not only insects, but also small vertebrates and even other birds.

The Japanese Sparrowhawk is the smallest raptor you will see, reaching only 25-30 cm or 10-12 inches in height. Its small size, though, does not indicate a meek character! It likes to feed on other birds, including swallows and doves. It prefers to live alone, and migrates in widely scattered flocks.

You might also see the little (36 cm/14 in) grey-and-white Chinese Goshawk, although not many of them make the trip. When they do, they often join a flock of Japanese Sparrowhawks, which outnumber them by nine times. Unlike many other raptors, the Chinese Goshawk hunts for prey from a perch in a tree, not in flight.

Raptors are threatened by hunting and the destruction of their habitat. The forest at Tanjong Tuan is a wildlife refuge and bird sanctuary, but it is still shrinking. It is the last such forest in Malacca. Without it, the raptors will have no safe place to stop on their difficult journey.

The Malaysian Nature Society holds a Raptor Watch Week each year. The last one was from 3 to 5 March, 2001. The event includes educational programmes about the birds and an organized bird count by volunteers. Last year, 2,606 raptors flew over Tanjong Tuan. This information helps environmentalists plan how to protect these amazing birds.

If you go next year, you can count the raptors you see and help save them while having a lot of fun! Meanwhile, you can learn more about the raptor migration at the website of the Malaysian Nature Society at www.mns.org.my.

Fast Facts
• Of the world’s 292 raptor species, almost half live in tropical rainforests
• Tanjong Tuan is the largest bird migration in Asia
• 2,441 Crested Honey Buzzards were counted in 2000
• The second-largest group was of 145 Black Bazas
• Other types of birds seen: blue-tailed bee eaters, blue-throated bee eaters, swifts, swallows