Meet Sawi, the Grey-faced Buzzard!
This is the first bird that will be illustrated here, and is the outcome of a collaboration between Raptorwatch Philippines and Philippine Wildlife Art!
Sawi is the local name for the Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus) in many communities in the Philippines. It is also a migratory bird. This means it travels a long distance for food, and to survive.
Sawi parents meet and lay eggs in places like Japan and northern China and Russia, where they love to live in valleys with lots of rice terraces and forest. The valley views and rice land offers them a lot of food from frogs, reptiles, insects, and even the maya bird 1.
When winter arrives around September and October in Japan, Russia, and China, it starts to get cold. Food is also not as readily available for the Sawi. So they begin their trip southward to places like the Philippines and New Guinea! 1
Can you imagine traveling hundreds of kilometers or miles just to live? Many humans also do this, and we call this immigration. The Sawi do this every year, and with other raptor species too. They travel for as far as 300 kilometers (180 miles) between islands 2, 3. When they are finally in the south, in places such as the Philippines, they enjoy the nice weather and eat lots of food. If you arrived from a very long trip, you would rest and eat a lot too!
Sawi are important for people all along its migratory route, or “flyway”. In the Philippines, they also help in maintaining a balance in our environment. Sawi provide “ecosystem services”. These are services that are provided for free, and benefits everyone!
One of these services is pest control. Farmland in the Philippines and in parts of Asia where Sawi migrate or live can have lots of pests. Sawi help farmers by eating many of these insects, such as grasshoppers, beetles, and other species that attack coconut trees, rice fields, and kamote or sweet potato.
Another service Sawi provide (and for free), is population control of other species that may bring disease or germs to people and pets. They eat rodents, snakes, and other species 1 that could be carriers of illnesses that affect people 4.
For some communities and towns, they also provide the potential for eco-tourism. Birdwatchers and nature-lovers both locally and from other countries come to see birds in the Philippines, especially migratory birds like Sawi.
The northern town of Sanchez Mira in Cagayan province is part of the migratory route or flyway for Sawi. Birdwatchers visit Cagayan and even Ilocos to watch for Sawi as they travel. Even local hunting of Sawi slows down as awareness of nature tourism and the Sawi increases 5.
If organized sustainably by local governments, Sawi and other migrating species can be observed during the migratory season.
As you can imagine, life for migrating Sawi is long and challenging. Even the Chinese name for Sawi is a reference to their migration: “Nan-lu Ing” or “South Road Eagle.” 6 All along the flyway, Sawi as well as other migratory birds are threatened from country to country.
In Taiwan, Sawi are also hunted due to a long-held tradition of hunting in some communities there 6. Agricultural development and timber harvesting in northeast China has also affected Sawi in those areas 7. While in Japan, Sawi have been affected by a decrease in rice production, and were given a “Vulnerable” status in the country 1.
Help watch out for the raptors
Raptorwatch Philippines studies Sawi and other raptor species in the Philippines. They are a volunteer-led group of nature-lovers and scientists who help us understand Philippine raptors and their importance. They also work with local communities such as those in Cagayan province or Sarangani province for awareness raising work and eco-tourism tours.
In March 2020 alone, a local “backyard count” conducted by Cagayan State University & Raptorwatch Philippines counted over 27,000 Sawi! They were able to conduct the count safely from their homes during the coronavirus lockdown.
Raptorwatch x Philippine Wildlife Art Coloring Sheets
Learn more about Sawi while coloring these sets of coloring sheets! There are two sets, both have Tagalog and English translations, including the ancient Filipino script Baybayin.
VIEW OR PURCHASE THE COLORING SHEETS ON GUMROAD
See more migratory bird illustrations here!
Sources
- A. Atsuki, 2007. Grey-faced Buzzard. Bird Research News. Vol. 4. No. 5. http://www.bird-research.jp/1_shiryo/seitai/sashiba.pdf
- E. Nourani, 2018. Raptor migration in an oceanic flyway: wind and geography shape the migratory route of grey-faced buzzards in East Asia. The Royal Society Publishing. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.171555
- H. Shiu, K. Tokita, et al. 2006. Route and site fidelity of two migratory raptors: Grey-faced Buzzards Butastur indicus and Honey-buzzards Pernis apivorus.
- Raptorwatch Philippines. Sagip Sawi materials.
- R. Ocampo, 2019. “Birdwatchers flock to Philippines’ Cagayan for grey-faced buzzard”. Last accessed March 11, 2020. https://www.ttgasia.com/2019/06/07/birdwatchers-flock-to-philippines-cagayan-for-grey-faced-buzzard/
- M. Wilkie, 2007. A Brief History of Grey-Faced Buzzard Conservation in Taiwan. Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association, Taiwan. Last accessed March 11, 2020. https://en.wildatheart.org.tw/story/109/6834
- BirdLife International, 2020. Species factsheet: Butastur indicus. Last accessed March 11, 2020. http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grey-faced-buzzard-butastur-indicus/text
- Publish date: April 16, 2020
- Last updated: February 21, 2024