Scientific name: Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Birds-of-prey
Field characters. Length 51-57 cm; wingspan 113-128 cm. In flight shows broad, rounded wings, slightly rounded and relatively short tail, and short neck. Adult very variable, usually with upperparts dark brown and underparts mottled and barred or streaked with white and brown; the amount of white on underparts and underwing varies considerably. Differs from Rough-legged Buzzard in brown-grey tail with narrow, inconspicuous bands, and one broader terminal band (Rough-legged has white tail with a black terminal band), less distinct carpal patches on underwing, and unfeathered, yellow tarsi; occasionally hovers. European Honey-buzzard soars on flat wings, has a small Common Cuckoo-like head and longer wings and tail (with different banding). Eastern subspecies vulpinus, Steppe Buzzard, is more rusty-coloured and resembles Long-legged Buzzard but is smaller and shorter winged, has faint banding on the entirely rusty tail (tail of Long-legged lacks banding and is often paler at the base), has a darker head and usually lacks Long-legged's contrast between dark belly and creamy breast. Soars for long periods of time on wings raised in shallow V and with tail well spread. Flies with rather fast, stiff and shallow wing-beats, giving the impression of rather laboured flapping.
Voice. Usual call is a far-carrying, plaintive, mewing "peeioo".
Distribution. Fairly common summer visitor and resident.
Habitat. Occurs in a variety of habitats, ranging from agricultural country with trees, woodlands, uncultivated mountainous areas to rocky coasts.
Food. Hunts for prey (a) by soaring over open terrain, (b) from a perch and scanning surroundings, (c) while walking on ground. Variable diet, principally consisting of small mammals, but including also birds, reptiles, amphibians, large insects, and earthworms.
Eggs. Rarely uniform, otherwise with variable markings, sometimes plentiful. Ground colour dull white/tinged green, colour of markings red-brown/pale brown/dark brown/grey. Texture fine granular, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/short subelliptical. Size 55 x 44 mm (50-64 x 39-48), weight 61 g (55-71). Heavily marked eggs hard to distinguish from those of Red Kite. Probably some racial variation in size and weight.