Buzzard

The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) is a medium-to-large raptor with a wide variety of habitats. It belongs to the family Accipitridae and belongs to the genus Buteo. The species breeds throughout much of the Palearctic, including far western Siberia, northwestern China (Tien Shan), and northwestern Mongolia. It is a year-round inhabitant across much of its range. Buzzards from the Northern Hemisphere's colder regions, and also those who breed in the eastern portion of their range, often move south for the northern winter, some as far as South Africa. 

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The common buzzard is an opportunistic predator which eats a range of animals, although its main diet consists of small mammals, particularly voles. It hunts from a perch most of the time. It makes a nest, which is normally in trees in this species, and is a dedicated parent to a small brood of young, as do most Accipitridae birds of prey. The common buzzard looks to be Europe's highest abundant diurnal raptor, with global population estimates well into the millions.

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Description

The common buzzard is a moderate-sized raptor with a wide range of plumage colours. Some buzzards have a spherical head, a slender bill, moderately long wings which attain or fall just short of the tail tip when perched, a short tail, and mostly bare tarsi. They could have a small overall look, but they can also seem huge in comparison to those other raptorial birds like kestrels and sparrowhawks. Among the types of buzzards, the common buzzard has a 109–140 cm (43–55 in) wingspan and ranges between 40 and 58 cm (16 and 23 in) in length. Females are approximately 2–7% larger linearly than males and weigh roughly 15% more. The mass of a person's body might vary a lot. Male buzzards in Great Britain can weigh anything from 427 to 1,183 g (0.941 to 2.608 lb), whereas females could weigh anywhere from 486 to 1,370 g. (1.071 to 3.020 lb).

Many typical buzzards in Europe appear dark brown above and on the upper side of the mantle and head, although, with wear, their plumage could turn whiter and warmer brown. In the nominate subspecies, the flight feathers of perched European buzzards are invariably brown (B. b. buteo). The tail is normally narrowly barred grey-brown or dark brown with a pale tip and a broad black subterminal band, but in the palest birds, the tail could have various amounts of white and a shortened subterminal band or could seem nearly entirely white. The underbelly colouring of European buzzards varies, although most have a brown-streaked white throat and a little darker chest. A pale U across the breast, accompanied by a pale line extending down the belly, which divides the black patches on the breast-side and flanks, is common. The markings on these pale patches are quite varied and tend to create uneven bars.

In the nominate race, juvenile buzzards are very identical to adults, with the exception of a paler eye, a thinner subterminal band on the tail, and underside patterns that look like streaks instead of bars. Additionally, youngsters' upper wing coverts might well have to vary from creamy to rufous fringes, and these might not even be present. Buzzards in Europe have quite a dark trailing edge to their wings when seen from below on the flight. One of the greatest marks is their large dark subterminal tail band, which may be observed from above. The typical European buzzard's flight feathers are predominantly greyish, featuring dark wing coatings in the front and a contrasting whiter strip all along median coverts. Paler people have dark carpal patches which seem like blackish arches or commas in flight, but they might be obscure in darker people or appear light brownish or fading in paler people.

In flight, juvenile nominate buzzards can be distinguished from adults by the absence of a prominent subterminal band (rather than fairly equal barring throughout) and a less acute and brownish instead of blackish trailing wing edge. Instead of barring, juvenile buzzards have to streak paler regions of their underwing and body. Birds in Europe could vary from practically uniform black-brown above to mainly white, well beyond normal mid-range brownish buzzards. Individuals having extreme dark pigmentation range from chocolate brown to blackish, with nearly no pale visible but a varied, faded U on the breast and slightly lighter brown throat streaks.

Distribution 

The common buzzard could be seen on various islands in the eastern Atlantic, notably the Canary Islands and the Azores, as well as virtually everywhere else in Europe. It can now be found in Ireland, as well as practically all of Wales, Scotland, and England. Surprisingly, there are no significant gaps in mainland Europe lacking breeding common buzzards from Portugal and Spain to Greece, Belarus, Estonia, and Ukraine, however, they are mostly found only during the breeding season throughout much of the eastern half of the latter three nations. All of the bigger Mediterranean islands, including Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia, and Crete, have them.

They could be discovered further north in Scandinavia, primarily in southeastern Norway (though there are a few spots in southwestern Norway near the coast and single-segment north of Trondheim), just across the southern half of Sweden, and touching the Gulf of Bothnia to Finland, in which they reproduce over approximately two-thirds of the land.

Habitat

The common buzzard prefers to reside at the boundary between woodlands and open areas, such as forest edges, tiny woods, or shelterbelts with surrounding grassland, arable, or other fields. It tolerates open moorland as long as certain trees are present for perch hunting and nesting. Coniferous, temperate broadleaf and hybrid forests, and temperate deciduous forests are among the woods they frequent, with occasional preferences for the local prominent tree. It is not found in treeless tundra or the Subarctic, in which it is nearly fully replaced by the rough-legged buzzard. In the treeless steppe, the common buzzard is infrequent or rare, but it does move across it on occasion.

The buzzard hawk occurs in both mountainous and lowland areas to a certain level. Buzzards are traditionally considered much of an upland species, despite their adaptability to and appearance in wetlands and coastal environments. They do not seem to be frequently attracted to or actively avoid bodies of water during non-migratory times. Buzzards in very well wooded eastern Poland areas mostly used massive, mature stands of trees which were richer, humid, and thick than those in the surrounding area, but preferred those within 30 to 90 metres of openings.

Buzzards are mostly found in the lowlands and foothills, although they can also be found in forested slopes and uplands, and also on rocky coasts, where they nest on cliff ledges instead of trees.

Behaviour

In many ways, the common buzzard behaves like a Buteo. This is most commonly observed flying or perched conspicuously on tops of trees, fence posts, bare branches, telegraph poles, rocks or ledges, or alternately well through tree canopies. Buzzards would also feed on the ground while standing. It may spend half of its day inactively perched in resident populations. It has also been characterized as a "sluggish and not particularly courageous" bird of prey. When aloft, it is a skilled soarer who can stay there for long periods of time, but in normal flight, it might seem tedious and heavy, more often in nominate buzzards than in steppe buzzards.

Migration 

A partly migratory is a fitting description for the common buzzard. Buzzard movements in the autumn and spring vary greatly, even down to a single level, depending on a region's food availability, competition (both from other buzzards and other predators), the intensity of human disturbance, and meteorological conditions. In the autumn and winter, juveniles, as well as some adults, travel short distances, but in Central Europe and the British Isles, more adults stay on their year-round habitation than do not. Even for first-year young buzzards, the dispersion may be insufficient. In England, 96 percent of first-year students relocated during the winter to a location fewer than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from their birthplace. 

White Buzzard

The white-eyed buzzard (Butastur teesa) is a moderate-sized hawk located in South Asia that is separate from real buzzards in the genus Buteo. Adults have a rufous tail, a prominent white iris, and a white throat with a dark mesial stripe bordered by a dark mesial stripe. The head is brown, while the upper wing's median coverts are light. 

They don't have the carpal patches on the bottom of their wings like true buzzards have, but the wing lining is dark in comparison to the flying feathers. They spend long periods of time sitting upright on perches and flying on thermals in pursuit of bug and small vertebrate prey. During the breeding season, they are quite vocal, and numerous birds can be heard calling as they soar together.

Description

The white iris, white neck, and dark mesial stripe clearly distinguish this thin and little hawk. On the top of the head, a white patch can be seen on occasion. The wingtip almost touches the end of the tail when perched. The ceres are a bright yellow colour, while the head and bottom of the body are darkly barred. The slender wings seem rounded in flight, having black tips to the feathers and a dark wing edge. In flight, a pale band appears across the brown on the upper wing. A darker subterminal band is barred on the rufous tail. The iris of young birds is brownish, as well as the forehead is pale, with a large supercilium.

Only in areas where it coincides with the grey-faced buzzard (Butastur indicus), which has a distinct white supercilium, can it be confused. Fledgelings are reddish-brown in colour, as opposed to the white colour of most of the other downy raptor chicks.

Distribution and Habitat

This species can be found throughout South Asia, including the plains of India and up to 1000 metres in the Himalayas. Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are all home to this species. In the Greater Sundas, Indonesia, a type which is probably of such a species has been observed, however, this population is significantly disjunct and seems to have whiter and unmarked feathers on the thigh or "trousers" and vent, particularly given a new form. It is not found in Sri Lanka and is most likely not found in the Andaman Islands. In northeastern Afghanistan, it is a seasonal visitor. It is mostly found on the plains, but it can reach elevations of 1200 metres in the Himalayan foothills.

Dry, open forests or farmlands are the most common habitats. They can be found in large numbers in certain locations, but their numbers are dwindling. In the late 1950s, a survey throughout the Delhi area indicated that there were roughly 5000 birds in a region of around 50,000 km2, providing a density of 0.1 per square kilometre.

Behaviour and Ecology

This species is frequently seen sitting stationary or soaring alone in thermals. It's not uncommon to see two or three people in a group. When pairs are soaring, they make a mewing call or a falling whistle (transcribed as pit-weer). During the breeding season, they are quite vocal. They eat locusts, crickets, grasshoppers, and other large insects, and also lizards, mice, and frogs. They have even been known to take larger prey like the black-naped hare from areas near wetlands (Lepus nigricollis).

February to May is the breeding season. The nest is a twig platform, similar to that of a crow, that can often be erected in a leafless tree. The average clutch size is three eggs, all of which are white and unspotted. Both sexes help build the nest and nourish the young, but only the female incubates the eggs for roughly 19 days until they hatch. A new species of endoparasitic platyhelminth was discovered in this species' liver. Contracaecum milvi, a nematode species, has been found in the liver and stomach, whereas Mediorhynchus gibson, Acanthocephalans, and M. fatimae, have been discovered in the guts of Pakistani specimens.

The genus Atoxoplasma has been isolated from protozoa which dwell in the bloodstream. They possess specialist ectoparasitic bird lice, including Colpocephalum zerafae, which are also found in other birds of prey, as do many other birds. After kestrels, white-eyed buzzards were considered to be the second most prevalent raptor killed by electricity in a 2011 study of power lines in Rajasthan.

Forest Buzzard

The forest buzzard (Buteo trizonatus) is an African bird of prey, while some authors consider it to be a subspecies of the mountain buzzard (Buto oreophilus). This is a regular breeding species in southern and eastern South Africa's woods.

The forest buzzard looks a lot like the common summer migrant steppe buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus, having a brown head, back, and upper wings, with rufous margins to the feathers that vary in quantity across individuals. The chin is simple whitish with no brown spots, the chest and stomach are whitish with a varied amount of brown markings, and the undertail coverts are pure whitish. Most adults have brown barring on the breast sides and belly, whereas all except the palest birds have a noticeable white ‘U' mark in the centre of their otherwise blotched abdomen. White underwings with a reddish-brown tinge on the smaller underwing coverts and a dark comma-shaped scar just at the end of the major coverts.

The thighs are reddish-brown in colour, and the axillary feathers seem to be white with brown barring. The top tail is brown with a reddish-brown wash, with few narrow dark brown stripes and a wide dark brown subterminal band, whereas the undertail bands are sometimes obscure. The wingspan is 102–117 cm (40–46 in) and the total height is 41–48 cm (16–19 in).

Habits

The forest buzzard seems to be a sit-and-wait predator that pounces on victims from a perch. It attacks all along the border of or in the forest. Small mammals, birds up to the size of a turaco or francolin, lizards, snakes, grasshoppers, frogs, beetles, wasps, and scorpions have all been documented as prey.

Although little has been known about its breeding biology, it is assumed to be territorial and monogamous. The nest is a big stick building with an inner cup covered with green leaves and occasionally with Usnea spp. beard lichen. It grows in the fork or bottom branch of a tree throughout the forest interior, usually pines or eucalyptus, but sometimes native species like small-leaved yellowwood (Afrocarpus falcatus). The two eggs are laid from August and November, with the majority being laid in September and October. Because the eggs are produced asynchronously, the first produced hatches first, and the older sibling is aggressive toward its younger chick, denying it nourishment and causing it to starve if food is scarce. They fledge at around 47 days old and take about four months to become totally independent.

Taxonomy

The Madagascar buzzard, common buzzard, and mountain buzzard are all members of the same superspecies as the forest buzzard. The distinction between forest and mountain buzzards is established on structure, habitat, and plumage characteristics, as well as the reality that the two taxa are not monophyletic. The forest buzzard is thought to have evolved from the steppe buzzard, which is a popular wintering bird within the forest buzzard's breeding habitat. The steppe buzzard is a specialist that breeds in a range of habitats across a huge area of the eastern Palearctic and winters in southern and eastern Africa, with only a few non-breeding birds staying in southern Africa during the northern summer.