Buzzard Buteo buteo

Buzzard Buteo buteo or Common buzzard

Latin name

Buteo buteo

Other names

Also called
Britain: Common buzzard, Finland: Hiirihaukka France: Buse variable Germany: Mäusebussard Hungary:Egerészölyv Italy: Poiana comune Poland: Myszołów (zwyczajny) Russia: Канюк Spain: Busardo Ratonero Sweden: Ormvråk

Description

The Common buzzard is a widespread bird in Hungary. You can very easily see one everywhere around open areas like meadows or agricultural lands and somewhere in the forests as well. The buzzard is an average sized birds or prey, the length of the bird is approximately 50-60cm, the wingspan is 110-130cm. One of the marks of the buzzard is the white “V” shape in the chest. The birds usually has one color: mostly brownish, but there are lighter and quite dark versions as well. There are several thousand pairs in Hungary, and others from other countries also came here in certain periods.

Diet

The buzzard mostly eats rodents and dead animals hit by the cars in the highways. I never see a buzzard catches a bird or rabbit. The buzzard has week talons compare to Goshawk for example, cannot prey a rabbit.

Photography

A buzzard is an ideal subject for photography, because it is a relatively large bird and quite common in Europe. There are different methods for making photos of a buzzard. If we prepare a hide at a convenient place, the easiest to attract the buzzard with fish or dead animals in winter. In Hungary buzzards are gathered around main roads in winter looking for animals hit by cars. In summer easiest to photograph the buzzards in the air circling.