Pernis (bird)

They breed in temperate and warmer climates of the Old World, and are specialist feeders on wasp and bee larvae. The two temperate species, the European and crested honey buzzards, are migratory.

They breed in woodland, and are often inconspicuous except when displaying.

The members of this genus have plumage which mimics that of juvenile common buzzards or of Nisaetus hawk-eagles. It has been suggested that the similarity has arisen as a partial protection against predation by larger raptors such as goshawks, which may be wary about attacking what appears to be a better-protected species with stronger bill and talons than the honey buzzards actually possess.

Species

It consists of four medium-sized, broad-winged species.

Comparing sequences from a short subsection of the mitochondrial cytb gene, Gamulf and Haring found five clades: apivorus, steerei–winkleri, celebensis, philippensis–orientalis–ruficollis, and torquatus–ptilorhynchus–palawanensis. They proposed splitting the steerei–winkleri group from P. celebensis into a new species Pernis steerei, but felt that splitting Pernis ptilorhynchus would be "premature" given the lack of morphological differences.

Despite the name "crested honey buzzard", the subspecies P. p. orientalis, P. p. philippensis, and P. p. palawanensis all lack crests.