the blackish wingtips and trailing edges. Dark morph upland buzzards are almost entirely solid black-brown throughout the body. with the flight feather pattern similar to pale morph but darker apart from the flight feathers. The call of the upland buzzard is a prolonged nasal mewing, not dissimilar to that of the common buzzard (B. buteo), although it is said to vocalize less than that species. The "trousers" are heavily feathered brown, often covering at least three-quarters of the legs. Despite individual variations, these buzzards are more insulated on their legs than other Buteo, apart from the ferruginous hawk and rough-legged buzzards (B. lagopus) which both have feathering extending along their tarsi. Identification The upland buzzard is fairly similar in plumage to others buzzards, and may need to be distinguished from the overlapping species of long-legged buzzards (B. rufinus), Himalayan buzzards (B. reflectus) and eastern buzzards (B. japonicus). The Himalayan species in particular is often found is similar in distribution and in similar habitats at high elevations. The upland species is known to be difficult to distinguish from the related long-legged buzzard, and the two species are often misidentified for each other. However, it is said it can be told from the long-legged buzzard by being slightly larger and lacking the warmer, sometimes rufous tones (rather than earthen brown) of that species. However, the extent of patterns are roughly corresponding on both the upland and long-legged buzzard as well their proportions and size broadly overlaps between the two. Usually the long-legged buzzard tends to occur at lower elevations. However, distant flying buzzards are sometimes considered to be too similar to be identifiable between these species, especially darker individuals. The other buzzards are conspicuously smaller, with shorter proportions to their much smaller wings and shorter tails. Both Himalayan and eastern buzzards are also differently marked, usually appearing paler bellied apart from a belly band and stipling to the flanks with less strongly contrasting patterns on the wing on the coverts and flight feathers. Dark morphs of the respective buzzard species are more similarly marked but the upland buzzard can be distinguished by its size and proportions, excepting the dark morph long-legged buzzard which is practically indistinguishable. Taxonomy and systematics The upland buzzard species was first described by Temminck and Schlegel in 1844 and is monotypic. Currently, this species is considered to form a superspecies with the long-legged buzzard. At one time, the