Co.Wexford Ireland 28-08-2021
[group] Kites, hawks and eagles | [order] ACCIPITRIFORMES | [family] Accipitridae | [latin] Buteo buteo | [UK] Common Buzzard | [FR] Buse variable | [DE] Mausebussard | [ES] Ratonero Comun | [NL] Buizerd | [IRL] Clamhán
Measurements
spanwidth min.: 110 cm
spanwidth max.: 132 cm
size min.: 46 cm
size max.: 58 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 33 days
incubation max.: 38 days
fledging min.: 50 days
fledging max.: 38 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 2
eggs max.: 4
Status: Largely resident, though Ireland receives birds from Britain during the winter.
Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is considered to be Secure.
Identification: A medium sized raptor (bird of prey) with broad wings, a compact body, short neck and medium-length tail. Has a short hooked bill suitable for eating meat. Often seen sitting on fences and telegraph posts or soaring high in the sky, where it shows a fan shaped tail and spread outer wing feathers. Will also hang in the wind on updrafts. Flies with quick, stiff wing beats. Buzzards have very variable plumages from very dark to very light. Much of the plumage is barred. Adults are brown on the upperparts, body and underwing coverts and show a broad black band on the end of the tail and wing feathers. The rest of the underwings are whitish and finely barred. Variation in adult plumage is displayed on both the upper and under sides and some birds can be extremely pale, especially in the tail and upperwing coverts. Juvenile birds are similar to adults and also display a range of light and dark plumage variation; juveniles lack black bands on the ends of their tails and wings and some paler birds show prominent dark markings on the underwing at the carpal (wing joint).
Similar Species: Other raptor species
Call: Very vocal for a raptor, especially in the spring. Has a loud mewing call which it uses mainly in flight.
Diet: Takes a wide variety of prey items including small mammals, birds, rabbits, insects, earthworms and amphibians.
Breeding: Breeding birds are found mainly in the north and east of country, north of a line from Sligo to Wexford. The stronghold of the species is in Co. Donegal, Co. Monaghan and Co. Louth. Birds nest in trees and sometimes on cliffs, usually with access to open land including farmland, moorland and wetland. The species was absent in Ireland from the late nineteenth century until 1933, when a pair bred in Antrim. The species has spread slowly down from the north through the twentieth century
Wintering: Largely resident.
Physical characteristics
Extremely variable. Generally dark brown above and on most of underbody and underwing coverts, from below , wingtip and trailing edge of wing dark, flight-feathers barred, pale area in outer primaries. Extensive geographical variation, partly confounded by individual variation. Races separated on size coloration and plumage pattern. Race vulpinus normally smaller, often with rusty underbody underwing coverts and upperside of tail, generally separable from B. rufinus on darker head and faintly barred tail, race menestriesi rather similar to vulpinus, but larger.
Habitat
Variable, but always with some degree of tree cover. Prefers edges of woods and areas where cultivation, meadows, pastures or moors alternate with coniferous or deciduous woods, or least clumps of trees. In winter open fields, steppe or wetlands. Mainly flat terrain or gentle slopes at low or moderate altitudes.
Other details
Buteo buteo is a widespread breeder across most of Europe, which accounts for less than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is large (>710,000 pairs), and increased between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in a few countries during 1990-2000, key populations in Russia, Germany and France were stable, and the species was stable or increased across most of the rest of Europe.
Feeding
Adaptable, diet according to local and seasonal availability. Essentially a hunter of small mammals, particularly rodents, with voles main prey over much of range, also mice, rats hamsters shrews, young rabbits and hares. Sometimes dominant prey by number are invertebrates, crickets, locusts and earthworms. Reptiles locally important, including lizards, slow-worms and snakes. Birds can be important when mammals scarce. Hunts in clearings and open areas near edges or woods, almost always captures prey on ground. Spends long periods perched scanning or loafing, also spots prey from gliding or soaring flight. Walks on ground when hunting invertebrates.
Conservation
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Eggs laid from march to may. Nests in large trees, fairly close to edge of wood. Nest is bulky platform of sticks and twigs, lined with greenery. Built in fork or on branch near trunk. 2-4 eggs, incubation 35-38 days by female, but most prey caught by male. Chicks have white or brownish grey first and second down. This species is sexual mature at 3 years old.
Migration
Migratory in Scandinavia (wintering in S Sweden), and in most of former USSR- partially migratory in C Europe (increasingly so with latitude)- sedentary in Britain, S Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Japan and in island populations. Winters in Africa, Israel and Arabia- easternmost breeding populations winter in India, Indochina and China- part of C European population move S and SW in autumn, with some migrants reaching NW or even W Africa. Race vulpinus completely migratory, travelling up to 13,000 km, to winter in S Europe and SW Asia, but mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in S- crosses over to Africa mainly via Bab al Mandab in autumn, and returns by Suez in spring- 465,827 birds recorded at Elat (Israel) in spring 1986. Race menestriesi apparently non-migratory. Length of migrants absence from breeding grounds increases with latitude.