Common Buzzard

The Common Buzzard Is a Frequently Seen Bird of Prey in Germany - Photo: lucaar/stock.adobe.com

Common Buzzard Facts

Main Characteristics

The common buzzard is the most frequently seen raptor in Central Europe. It is easy to identify: When a medium-sized bird with short tail feathers circles in the sky, it is likely a buzzard. You often spot it perched on posts or telephone poles in open landscapes.

Common Buzzard in Flight - Photo: henk bogaard/stock.adobe.com

Distribution and Habitat

The common buzzard prefers open forests for nesting and farmland or grassland for hunting. It can even be found in cities, where it discovers plenty of mice and rats.

Lifestyle

Common buzzards are diurnal birds of prey. They are very loyal: once a pair has formed, they stay together for life. Raising the chicks is a joint effort.

Anatomy and Appearance

Size and Weight

Common buzzards measure 20-22 inches (51-58 cm) in length. Their wingspan is 44-50 inches (113-128 cm). Males are generally smaller and lighter, averaging around 1.7 pounds (800 grams), while females weigh close to 2.4 pounds (1,000 grams).

Strong Claws

The common buzzard possesses strong claws that enable it to catch and carry its prey.

Plumage

The common buzzard is a true "master of transformation." No other native raptor exhibits such a wide variety of feather colors – ranging from nearly white to nearly black depending on the habitat. Unlike the goshawk and sparrowhawk, they have no prominent barring on their chest.

Tail Feathers

A distinctive feature is the short, rounded tail feathers, which appear like a widely fanned-out fan in flight.

Buzzards Can Have Either Light or Dark Plumage - Photo: Morbakka [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons, Miroslav Hlavko (right) /Shutterstock

How to Identify a Common Buzzard

Buzzard or Red Kite?

The most noticeable differences between the two are:

• Tail Feathers: The buzzard has a rounded tail like a B (for Buzzard), while the red kite has a forked tail like an M (for Kite).
• Plumage: The buzzard is brown and white, whereas the red kite has reddish plumage and a white head.

Common Buzzard or Red Kite - What's the Difference? - Photo: Marcel (left), Micha Trillhaase (right)/stock.adobe.com

Buzzard or Goshawk?

An adult goshawk always has "cross bands" on its chest and belly. The buzzard does not.

Common Buzzard or Goshawk - What's the Difference? - Photo: Creatureart (left), Albert Beuckhof (right)/stock.adobe.com

Buzzard or Sparrowhawk?

Sparrowhawks always feature "cross bands" on their chest and belly – the buzzard does not. Additionally, the claws of the sparrowhawk are much narrower and thinner.

Common Buzzard or Sparrowhawk - What's the Difference? - Photo: Marcin Perkowski (left), Bogdan Boev (right)/Shutterstock

Diet

Buzzards are carnivorous. They primarily feed on small rodents like mice. However, they also consume other birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, earthworms, insects – and even carrion.

Behavior

Migratory or Resident Bird?

In Germany, the common buzzard typically stays throughout the year here (resident bird). Our winters are usually quite mild, providing ample food. Birds that live further north only migrate south until they can find enough prey again.

Cat-like Call

The call of the common buzzard is distinctive: it sounds like a high, plaintive "Hii-ää" – almost like a cat's meow. This is why they are also referred to as cat eagles. They call frequently and abundantly, especially during the mating season.

Building Up Winter Fat

Common buzzards fatten up before the cold season. Their weight fluctuates throughout the year by 100-300 g. They rely on their fat reserves mainly between January and April when food is scarce.

Buzzards Are Sit-and-Wait-Predators - Photo: Piotr Krzeslak/stock.adobe.com

Are Buzzards Dangerous?

Joggers and Cyclists: Be Cautious in June and July!

In June and July, the young birds leave the nest. During this period, everything within a 100-meter radius that moves faster than a walker is seen as a threat. The parents protect their young and may sometimes perform mock attacks on joggers or cyclists.

How Serious is a Buzzard's Attack?

Fortunately, most attacks are merely threats. There have been no reports of serious injuries caused by a buzzard to date. However, its talons can cause minor scratches on the head, which should be treated by a doctor due to the risk of tetanus.

Flight Patterns

Soaring Flight

In soaring flight, they glide high in the sky, making wide circles over the terrain while keeping their wings in a V shape.

Hovering Flight

Much like kestrels, they can rapidly "shake" their wing feathers and appear to "hover" in the air. Their distinctive feature includes widely spread, rounded tail feathers and wings.

Skills and Senses

Speed

Buzzards can fly at speeds of up to 45 km/h.

Flight

Buzzards are exceptionally skilled and agile flyers.

Buzzard With a Frog in Its Beak - Photo: Rafal Szozda/Shutterstock

Hunting

Aerial Attack

Buzzards scan their surroundings for prey by soaring high in the sky, using their keen eyesight to watch the ground below. Upon spotting a target, they dive down in a plunge and capture it with their sharp talons.

Patient Perch Hunting

In perch hunting, the buzzard waits from an elevated position, such as a fence or a streetlight. Once he spots a prey, he takes off swiftly to seize it. This method is known as "perch hunting."

Ground Hunting

To lure earthworms to the surface, they "stomp" their feet on the ground. The stomping sounds to earthworms like rain, prompting them to escape upwards rather than risk drowning in the soil.

Two Buzzards Are Fighting With Each Other - Photo: Veselin Gramatikov/Shutterstock

Life Expectancy

In the wild, these birds typically live for 8-12 years. The oldest wild buzzard recorded in England reached an impressive age of 25 years and 4 months.

Enemies and Threats

Natural Enemies

The natural predators of the buzzard include eagles, wildcats, and foxes.

Food Scarcity

During the cold months from January to April, these birds sometimes face such a shortage of food that they risk starvation.

Human Impact

• Road and Railway Traffic

Buzzards also feed on carrion. They often consume animals that have been hit by vehicles, which can lead to their own deaths. The same danger exists with railway traffic.

• Poison Baits

Poison baits pose a significant threat. Although they are intended for foxes, buzzards can also ingest them.

• Deforestation

A major threat is the loss of habitat due to tree clearing.

• Wind Power

Many birds also fall victim to wind turbines.

Importance to the Ecosystem

Buzzards play a crucial role in nature. They primarily help to balance the population of small rodents. Their name, mouse-buzzard, reflects this! Additionally, they consume carrion, which helps prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.

Observing Buzzards

Buzzards are most active in the spring. It’s common to see them soaring in wide circles in the sky. They can often be spotted perched on posts, poles, masts, fences, streetlights, and tall trees. They are also frequently seen in October as birds from the north migrate to Germany.

The Nest of a Buzzard With Chicks - Photo: WildMedia/Shutterstock

Reproduction

Mouse hawks are monogamous. This means they stay with their partner for life.

Breeding Season

The breeding season starts at the latest in March and lasts until July.

Nest

The nest of the mouse hawk is called a eyrie. It measures 100-120 cm wide and 60 cm deep and is made of branches, grasses, leaves, and moss. Often, these birds reuse their nest in the following breeding season. They prefer a sturdy fork in a tree at a height of 3 to 25 m for their nest. Typically, the male constructs the nest.

Incubation Period

The female lays between two to six eggs from late March to mid-April. The incubation lasts 33-35 days. During this time, the male provides food for the female.

Chicks

Once the chicks hatch, the male has to hunt even more food – as he now needs to feed both the mother and the young! The attentive care for the chicks pays off: About 49% of the young survive – a remarkable rate in the bird world. After 14-16 weeks, the young become independent.

Sources:

• Environmental correlates of spatio-temporal patterns of colour variation in a bird of prey: The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
• Comparison of hunting site strategies of the common buzzard Buteo buteo in open landscapes and along expressways (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)