Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
Also known as: Buzzard, Eurasian Buzzard
Habitat
Ground
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
759 g
About This Species
Look for this broad-winged raptor soaring in slow circles over farmland, woodland edges and moorland, wings held in a shallow V and tail fanned, often accompanied by a plaintive mewing call. It also perches conspicuously on fence posts, pylons and dead branches while scanning for prey. Clear days with good thermals are best for watching it soar, and spring brings display flights over breeding territories.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Stay well back from any nest site, especially through the spring and summer breeding period, and use binoculars or a scope rather than closing the distance.
- In the UK it is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with equivalent protections for raptors across most of its European range, so deliberately disturbing a nesting bird can be an offence.
- If a bird flushes from a perch or circles persistently overhead, you are already too close and should back away.
LCAvesAccipitriformesAccipitridae
Seasonal Activity
6,922,378 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 759 g
Photo
(c) Erik Eckstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erik Eckstein
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.