Distribution This species occurs across Europe and Russia, and parts of Northern Africa and Asia in the cooler winter months. Geography Continents. Asia, Europe, Africa. Biome Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest. Tropical moist forests. Temperate coniferous forest. Anthropogenic biome. Climate zones Tropical. Habits and Lifestyle The Common buzzard appears lazy when it sits quietly perched for lengthy periods, but it is, in fact, a very active bird, and flies back and forth over fields and forests.
Group name. Terrestrial, Soaring birds, Altricial, Predator, Gliding. Seasonal behavior. Partially migrant. Diet and Nutrition Common buzzards are carnivores, they eat birds, small mammals, and carrion. Diet Carnivore. Population Trend. Least concern LC. Population Population threats Currently, the Common buzzard is not seen to be globally threatened. Ecological niche As predators, they may have an influence on the numbers of their prey species.
Fun Facts for Kids Common buzzards are famous for the way they capture moles. They stare at the ground and, as soon as the soil moves, they suddenly fly off their perch to capture the mole without hesitation. Most of the prey is captured once it has been visually located while flying low in a circling flight, sometimes after searching from an altitude of around meters. The Common buzzard has very good hearing and can hear a mouse moving in the grass.
When it locates such prey, the buzzard will soar slowly to the ground and run quickly, with agility, to capture the prey. If, while flying, a Common buzzard is baited by seagulls or crows, it will turn over on its back to claw the offender. Common buzzards stamp on the ground in order to attract earthworms to the surface and then eat them. References 1. Buzzards often nest within woods, building large structures out of twigs and branches high in the trees.
Rough-legged and honey buzzards are much harder to spot due to their rarity. The former are most likely to be seen on the east coast, but as few as 10 birds may visit the UK each winter. Honey buzzards can be found at a limited number of sites in southern, eastern and northern England, northern Scotland and central Wales.
Find out more about our declining woodland bird populations, and how protecting woodland habitats is more important than ever. What do buzzards eat? And more buzzard facts. A typical buzzard diet can include: Voles, mice and shrews Rabbits Other birds particularly members of the crow family and pigeons Carrion Earthworms A huge variety of other species have occurred in buzzard diets, ranging from beetles, frogs and snakes to weasels, rats and hares.
Comeback birds Not being a fussy eater allows buzzards to survive in a wide range of habitats. Other buzzards Two other species called buzzard occur in the UK, but are much rarer.
Discover more about British birds. Trees woods and wildlife Birds Find out more about our declining woodland bird populations, and how protecting woodland habitats is more important than ever.
Blog When do blue tits nest? Blog Do robins migrate? When they aren't busy flying or eating, buzzards have to have a tree to sit and rest on and to roost on at night. Because of its large, clumsy wings a buzzard must find a dead tree or one bare of obstructions. In early spring there is no problem finding a bare tree to land in, but later, as the leaves come out, buzzards have to find a dead tree.
Often since there are only a few dead trees that remain standing in a buzzard's territory, many buzzards, who are not naturally gregarious, must all roost together in the same tree.
These trees may be called buzzard trees. Many times one can find buzzards on a dead tree early in the morning with wings outstretched waiting to feel the first thermals, which usually start about eight or nine o'clock.
Many people picture buzzards as dirty, nasty animals, but actually they are not. It is their food which is repulsive to most people, as they eat only dead and partially decomposed food. They play a very important role, getting rid of dead animals and controlling disease. By removing dead carcasses, they remove the diseases and bacteria. Also, the buzzard itself is a cleansing unit. Its bare head is designed so that any germs that remain on its head are baked off by the sun.
As the food goes through its system, the digestive juices kill the infections that may be in the flesh. Since their urine is a completely sterile fluid, they urinate on their feet to cleanse them. Buzzards are extremely long lived. Most live to be fifty, but records exist of one old buzzard living to be a hundred years old. I wonder. Is that where the term "old buzzard" came from? Who knows, but if someone ever calls you an "old buzzard," don't take it as an insult. Buzzards are interesting, useful and sometimes beautiful birds.
They spend their lives quietly doing their job and bothering no one. Not just everyone has all of these qualities! When I was five or six years old we moved from the city to a town near my grandmother's farm, where I saw a buzzard for the first time. As I spent the summer with my grandmother I became fascinated with their soaring flight and curious habits. I wanted to know more about them and to see them up close, so I decided to catch one.
At about this age I was always scheming to do something neat, like finding a new way to get the farm dog to pull my wagon, so a new and wonderful plan to catch a buzzard developed quickly.
I knew a great deal about buzzards in those days --that they flew around looking for food, their food had to be dead, and that dead food was still. I put my plan into action on a sunny June day on the top of a bare hill. Lying down in a comfortable spot I readied myself, became very still and waited. And waited I stayed there in the grass for an eternity, two whole hours, before I realized that something was wrong with my plan.
I got up dejectedly and started home, scratching at bites I'd acquired from lying in the weeds. As I tried to figure out what went wrong a rabbit jumped in front of me, and then dashed into some bushes. I sure thought it was cute but I didn't get a very good look at it.
So I decided to catch it. I had the best plan Now at the mature age of sixteen, I am still fascinated by buzzards. I always love to watch them soaring over the hills, dipping and floating in the wind.
As I watch these beautiful birds, I still long to see one up close, so last summer I decided to catch one. Now, don't think that I actually meant anything as childish as capturing the bird itself.
This time I was going to capture it on film.
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