Common Buzzards are the UK's most widespread and common Bird of Prey. They breed in every UK county.
 |
| Common Buzzard [Source: Arend from Oosterhout, Netherlands] |
Buzzard
numbers are up dramatically since the 1960s, from 16,000 in 1966 to
70,000 now.1
This is linked to rabbits gaining resistance to myxomatosis in the
1950s. They spread out from the hilly woodsides of the north and
west of the country to the flatter south and east in the late
twentieth century, as this
infographic shows.
As
well as rabbits, voles are popular prey, as are frogs and insects.2
Buzzards have been known to take pheasant poults on occasion, which
actually led to an unusual proposal earlier in 2012 to destroy
buzzards' nests to control numbers. Fortunately this crazy idea was
soon ditched.3
Identifying
a Buzzard
Distinctive
features of a buzzard include a smallish head, a short and thick neck
(giving a 'hunched shoulders' look when perched on telegraph poles),
and a overall compact look.
When
perched, look for the white 'necklace' of feathers on the breast.
This is most visible on birds with darker plumage.4
In
flight, when soaring look for large rounded wings held just above the
body, 'fingering' of the wing tips, and a fanned tail. When gliding
(faster flight) the wings and tail narrow and the flight is
interspersed with three sharp flaps.5
 |
| Buzzard Plumage [Source: Aviceda] |
Seen
from below the plumage is extremely variable but you can look out for
the dark wing tips and the barred tail.6
Have a look at a picture of a buzzard with very light
plumage, and another with darker
plumage.
Although
there are 28 buzzard species in the Buteo
genus,
the common buzzard is the only one resident to the UK. In addition,
a handful of 'rough-legged buzzards' make it to our shores each
year.7
Buzzards
in Literature
'The
Buzzards' by Martin Armstrong speaks of
A
buzzard and his mate who took their pleasure
Swirling and poising idly in golden light.
Swirling and poising idly in golden light.
On
great pied motionless moth-wings borne along,
So effortless and so strong.
So effortless and so strong.
An
old English name for a buzzard (or similar bird of prey) is a
“puttock.” In Shakespeare:
O
blest, that I might not! I chose an eagle, And did avoid a puttock.
Cymbeline
I, 1
In
Spenser's Faerie
Queene:
Some
like to hounds, some like to Apes, dismayd, / Some like to Puttockes,
all in plumes arayd.
In
Gaelic, 'An Clanham' is a buzzard, here
in a poem (with English translation) by Maoilios Caimbuel, while in
Ian McEwan's Enduring
Love,
a buzzard provides a different perspective on the traumatic opening
scene: "I see us from three hundred feet up, through the eyes of
the buzzard we'd watched earlier." The species even appear in
Cervantes's Don
Quixote:
"I know no more about the government of islands than a buzzard."
Buzzards
in Action
Watch
videos of a buzzard catching
a rat, or a male buzzard performing
the 'rollercoaster' to attract a mate.
The
buzzard makes a plaintive
mewing call 'peea-ay,' which could be mistaken for a cat's miaow.8
You can listen
to a recording of this.
 |
| Buzzard in Close-Up [Source: Spencer Wright from North Walsham, England] |
Buzzards
(like other birds of prey) are commonly 'mobbed' by other birds,
particularly crows & gulls, who see them as a threat.
'Mobbing'
is a recognised form of bird behaviour. It usually involves loud
calling & group harassing of the other bird.9
Buzzards
make their nest 2/3rds up a mature tree, usually near a clearing or
the forest edge. Buzzards are very adaptable to range of habitats but
the best is a mix of open land (for hunting) & woodland (for
nesting). Buzzards tend to produce 2-4 eggs, raising 1-2 young.
Juveniles move to their own territory but not too far away.10
Have a look at a nest,
and some near-fledged
chicks.
Strange
but True...
In
the USA, vultures are called buzzards & buzzards are called
hawks! Confusing!11
1http://www.care2.com/causes/44-million-british-birds-lost-since-1966.html
2http://www.globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesResults.asp?specID=8185
3http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/9300074/Plans-to-destroy-buzzard-nests-shelved-in-coalition-u-turn.html
4http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/britishwildlife/commbuzz.html
5http://raptoriduk.tripod.com/common_buzzard.htm
6http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx
7http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/roughleggedbuzzard/index.aspx
8http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/buzzard/index.aspx
9http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/watchingbirds/behaviour/mobbing.aspx
10http://www.scottishraptorgroups.org/raptors/common_buzzard.php
11http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/roughleggedbuzzard/index.aspx
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