European Honey-buzzard

The European Honey-buzzard is a large raptor with a distinctive small head and long, broad wings. Its plumage is highly variable, typically brown or greyish-brown above with barred underparts. The long tail has three dark bands.

Males often have a blue-grey head, while females are usually browner with a less distinct head colour. Juveniles show more uniform brown plumage with less barring.

In flight, careful observation will reveal that the wings are angled towards the rear on the leading edge from the alula (bastard wing) to the tip of the primaries.

A relatively silent bird, the European honey-buzzard confines itself to whistling noises similar to ‘pee – eee – aar’ or ‘pee – har’.

The European honey-buzzard’s breeding grounds are across the northern area of the Palearctic from Scandinavia across Russia to central Western Siberia and south through France, across eastern Europe to the Balkan States and into Iran. All birds migrate south for the winter to sub-Saharan and southern Africa.

During the northern hemisphere summer these birds choose hilly country with forests and woods in which to nest and roost. They are relatively shy birds and difficult to spot as they forage on the ground under the cover of trees. Whilst they may at first resemble the common buzzard, careful observation during flight, coupled with their physical appearance and bright yellow iris aids correct identification.

A diet of wasps, bees and hornets, together with grubs and larvae, honey, beeswax, insects and even small reptiles and mammals sustains the honey-buzzard. The bird will directly attack and forage from wasp and bee’s nests but also use its feet to search the ground and dig out grubs, beetles, termites and other larvae.

The breeding season lasts from May through to September, dependent upon geographical location, when nests constructed using twigs, sticks and tree foliage are built to form a platform located within the tree. One clutch of 1 – 3 buff coloured eggs with reddish brown markings is laid annually and incubated by both parents for up to thirty five days. Fledging occurs some forty to forty five days after hatching.

European Honey-buzzards are known for their unique feeding behaviour. They are often seen walking on the ground to dig out wasp nests. In flight, they exhibit a characteristic 'butterfly-like' wing flapping interspersed with glides. During the breeding season, males perform elaborate aerial displays to attract mates.

The average life expectancy of the European honey-buzzard is up to twenty five years.

While listed as Least Concern globally, European Honey-buzzards face threats from habitat loss and illegal hunting during migration.

Conservation efforts focus on protecting breeding habitats and migration routes, particularly in southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Although the European honey-buzzard is monotypic, it is also polymorphic, in that it has a wide variety of plumage patternation and colours and is not actually a true buzzard at all. The changes in plumage and appearance can vary with the bird’s age and sex as well as the season, although in general the underparts are barred and spotted, sometimes described as ‘tiger striped’ and in the adult male can vary from white to pale grey to brown. The head of the bird is relatively small compared to the rest of the body with a long neck and tail. The head of the adult male is predominantly grey, almost whitish on a juvenile, whilst that of the adult female is usually a darker brown colour. The upper and lower tail of adult birds is banded with three dark brown or blackish stripes, with that on the trailing edge being bolder and wider. Usually, the upper parts on adults are more of a mid brown hue with dark tipped primary and secondary flight feathers with the underparts and underwing areas being paler but with contrasting dark brown stripes and dark brown or black carpal patches. In flight, careful observation will reveal that the wings are angled towards the rear on the leading edge from the alula (bastard wing) to the tip of the primaries. The bill is small and slender, coloured black or dark grey with some pale yellow and the iris is a strikingly bold yellow in colour. The legs of both sexes are also yellow.