Osayed (common, crested).
A daytime predator of the hawk family from the falconiformes order. A rather rare bird. The osayed got its name because it destroys wasp nests and eats their larvae. Besides them, it can feed on bumblebee or wild bee larvae. It also eats frogs, lizards, rodents, beetles, grasshoppers, and small birds.
A large bird with a relatively long tail and narrow wings. The wingspan is about 1.2 m. There are short, stiff feathers on the forehead and around the eyes that resemble scales. The tarsus is covered with scaly shields. Adult birds have a dark brown back, while the belly has a highly variable coloration: from uniformly brown to light with a brown transverse pattern or with rare dark brown longitudinal streaks. The flight feathers are brown with dark tips, whitish bases, and dark transverse stripes. The tail feathers have three wide dark transverse stripes—two at the base of the tail and one at the tip. There are also uniformly brown birds.
The iris is yellow or orange. The beak is dark, the legs are yellow, and the claws are black. Young birds often have a light-colored head and light spots on their backs. Their call sounds like "kii-e" or a quick "ki-kiki." They usually fly low, with a light and maneuverable flight.
They nest in trees, often at the edge of forests. The nests are always "decorated" with green twigs with leaves. The laying is late, occurring in late May to June, consisting of 1-2, very rarely 3-4 bright reddish-brown eggs, often with white.
Both parents incubate for about a month. There are usually 1-2 chicks in the nest. The fledglings leave the nest with still underdeveloped flight feathers and stay around it for a long time.
Red Book
