Buzzard

The buzzard is a remarkably successful bird of prey in Great Britain, partly through enjoying protected status and partly because it has plenty to feed on.

The buzzard (Buteo buteo) is the commonest bird of prey in Great Britain, having increased in numbers in recent decades and spread from the hilly areas of the west (such as Wales and the Lake District) to farmland across England, although it is seen less frequently the further east one goes.

The fact that it feeds on carrion, as well as small mammals and birds, may account for its success given that mankind continually supplies food in the form of roadkill.


Appearance and behaviour

The buzzard is a medium-sized raptor, between hawk and eagle in size but similar to the osprey. The total length is around 50-56 centimetres (20-22 inches) and the wingspan 117-137 centimetres (46-54 inches). The wings are broad and rounded with splayed tips. The plumage is typically brown above and lighter below, but there is considerable variation between individuals. The chest is often speckled, and the wings have dark tips and trailing edges. The rounded tail distinguishes it from the red kite (fork-tailed) with which it could be confused.

The call is loud, long and piercing; once heard, never forgotten! A recording is available on this page of the RSPB website, along with other information.

In flight, the buzzard mixes gliding with slow, laboured wing-beats. Buzzards sometimes hover and also soar and plunge. When hunting for live prey they may either plunge from flight or from a vantage point such as a rock or post. Buzzards sometimes feed on invertebrates or earthworms, which they find when walking on the ground. They have also been known to wait for hours, unmoving, for a field-mouse to emerge from its hole.


Nesting and breeding

Buzzards are highly territorial, defending their “patch” of some three to four kilometres in diameter throughout the year. Within this area they may have a number of preferred nesting sites, moving to a different one in successive years. The nest is built high in a tree or on a cliff face, comprising twigs lined with moss, hair and leaves. A buzzard’s nest can resemble that of an osprey in size, being up to a metre across. Two to four eggs are laid, which are incubated for anything from 30 to 50 days, most of the work being done by the female bird. The male bird brings food to the nest which the female gives to the nestlings. The young birds fledge after about 40-50 days but the parents continue to feed them for several weeks more.

Buzzards can breed from the age of three years, but the number reaching this age is small. Those birds that do survive to adulthood have an average life expectancy of eight years.


Prospects for the buzzard

The distribution and number of birds of prey is always a reflection of food supply and human activity. When the food chain is disrupted, the creatures at the top of the chain soon suffer and numbers can fall dramatically. The use of pesticides and intensive farming methods have led to severe falls in buzzard numbers in the past, but these threats have reduced in more recent years, with subsequent recovery of the buzzard population. Shooting and poisoning by gamekeepers have also reduced considerably since World War II, especially as most of them have come to appreciate that buzzards pose very little threat to the rearing of game birds. The buzzard shares the protected status enjoyed by all UK birds of prey.

© John Welford