Field Notes: Oriental Honey Buzzard's Courtship Display

It was July 2025 at Dhanauri Wetlands, and I was in the back seat of the car. The command from the passenger seat was "keep an eye out," a directive I was following with sincere focus, scanning the skies. Thanks to recent practice as a volunteer on a road-transact raptor survey, I spotted it first—a raptor high overhead.

"Raptor!" I called out, and we pulled over safely. With three pairs of binoculars now trained on the bird, Nikhil confirmed it was an Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Just then, the bird flew straight up, then brought its wings together over its back in a sharp clap. It repeated this for a few moments, before making an impressive, dramatic drop and climbing again. What an aerial display!

I wondered what I had just witnessed. Before I could even ask, Nikhil answered the question forming in my mind: "Courtship display."

Birding with a mentor is a truly special experience, a masterclass in on-field learning. Had I been alone, I would have always wondered if what I saw was a special moment or just a stretching bird. Perhaps I would have googled it and gotten some idea, but experiencing the display live was completely different.

The Oriental Honey Buzzard is known for its wing-clapping, a key part of its courtship. The bird forcefully claps its wings together above its back while soaring or gliding. This creates a sharp, visually striking display that serves as a signal to attract a mate or reinforce a bond.

In our case, the bird was alone, so it was definitely trying to attract a partner. The bird was too high up for us to hear the clapping, but the visual display was mesmerising.

Unlike other raptors, the Oriental Honey Buzzard’s courtship is less vocal and more visual, relying on acrobatics and wing sounds. This makes these generally quiet raptors suddenly conspicuous during their breeding season aerial ballet.

While I am yet to see a full aerial ballet, I was completely stunned and awe-struck by the wing-clapping alone.

Some memories don't need a photograph to be beautiful. A moment like this becomes a treasured anecdote, reminding us not only of the birds we see but also of the bonds we share with the people we're in the field with.

So, are Oriental Honey Buzzards the only birds that wing-clap as part of their courtship?

Wing-clapping displays are not unique to them; several other raptors, as well as some owls and nightjars, perform similar actions during courtship. However, this behavior is particularly characteristic and conspicuous in honey buzzards, making it a central and unmistakable part of their breeding season display.