The upland buzzard is fairly typical Buteo often given to extensively soaring flights, with their wings held in quite a strong dihedral. The upland buzzard frequently hovers, often during hunting spells. Unlike many Buteos, they do not have perches usually available them while hunting so must swoop down from active flight, but may sometimes be able to make use of rocks as hunting perches. They will also sometimes capture insects on the ground. The upland buzzard is a partial migrant, often traveling minimal distances in apparent search of appropriate hunting areas. Migration appears to be undertaken in September to October in autumn and returns in spring in March to May. The species is frequently recorded migrating over the Gobi desert in late October. Wintering areas from the vagrants in Japan to southern China can be in lowland cultivation. The upland buzzard is, by and large, a specialized hunter of small mammals. In the Tibetan Plateau, the main foods of this species were tundra voles (Microtus oeconomus) (at 57.5% of 756 prey items), Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) (19.5%) and Gansu pika (Ochotona cansus) (18.6%). Further study of stable isotopes in this area determined that while small mammals were the primary foods, during downshifts in the populations of these preferred prey, upland buzzards in Tibet switch to subsiding on a variety of passerine birds, largely but not entirely fledglings, such as larks, buntings, finches and jays. Another routine prey species in the Tibetan highlands is the Chinese zokor (Eospalax fontanierii). Mongolian population of upland buzzards is known to be highly dependent on the Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) and can be dictated in numbers by the population cycles of this prey. Other important prey in Mongolia is the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), the Daurian ground squirrel (Spermophilus dauricus) and the Daurian pika (Ochotona daurica). In southern Altai, Russia, 59 prey items were led by northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus), at 27.1%, unidentified voles at 22%, grey red-backed voles (Myodes rufocanus) at 18.6% northern pika (Ochotona hyperborea) at 16.9% and various birds also at 16.9%. Additionally, in Altai, upland buzzards were documented to attack domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). During winter in Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, prey was observed to consist of tamarisk jirds (Meriones tamariscinus), house mouse (Mus musculus), grey partridge (Perdix perdix), rock pigeon (Columba livia) and larks. In addition to typical foraging, insects like beetles and grasshoppers are sometimes taken from the