The typical mental picture of a buzzard is often the familiar image of a long, desolate stretch of road with the scavenger bird eating off a dead animal. The buzzard's scientific name, Buteo buteo, is Latin for "common buzzard" and is a misleading description. In reality, buzzards are skilled hunters, devoted mates and parents, and vital contributors to environmental balance. Upon examination, these birds are much more than their ill-fitting name implies.
Facts
A typical buzzard has brown feathers and yellow legs. Its size averages at just under two feet with a wing span extending to as much as four feet. The bird makes a sound similar to the mew of a cat and vocalizes frequently where it nests. A bird of prey, the buzzard is built for hunting. Its excellent eyesight permits hunting during daylight, while its hooked beak and sharp talons are efficiently lethal when attacking prey.
Geography
Buzzards reside in the warmer climates of Europe, particularly Britain, Germany, and France. The buzzard is Britain's most common bird of prey, and BirdLife.org confirms it is not an endangered species. The bird builds its home in a variety of environments, ranging from open hills or farmland to forest clearings or rocky coastlines. It prefers to make its nest near the fringes of open areas that offer easier hunting. It's not unusual to spot a buzzard perched on a on a tree branch or cliff, scanning the landscape for potential prey.
Hunting
Buzzards tend to hunt alone, or, at the most, they hunt in pairs. The birds are not scavengers by nature but eat carrion occasionally. Buzzards are actually intelligent hunters and are crucial to maintaining the local population levels of its varied prey. They hunt in open areas where it's easier to spot quarry like pheasants, rabbits, snakes, and lizards. Buzzards even eat insects found in freshly ploughed fields.
Lifestyle
According to The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, buzzards have an average lifespan of eight years. Throughout their lives, the birds remain remarkably independent and do not form flocks in the manner of other birds. However, they have been known to migrate together and even live in the same areas. Buzzards build sizable, dense nests in large trees or cliff ledges. Fights between these birds are rare, and any battles can usually be attributed to one bird trespassing on another bird's territory.
Breeding
Woodland areas are ideal for buzzard breeding. The male engages in an intricate aerial ritual to lure the female and notify her there is a nest nearby. Buzzards are devoted partners and mate for life. According to the Young People's Trust for the Environment, each mating season, the female lays two or three white or bluish-white eggs with red-brown or pale lilac spots. After incubating for approximately five weeks, the chicks hatch in the order the eggs were laid, with an average of two days between each chick. Continuing their commitment to each other and their new family, both parents care for their young during the first six to eight weeks of life.
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