The Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Features

The common buzzard is the most common bird in Central Europe from the hawk family.

Species	Bird
Living space	Conifer forest, Deciduous forest
Size	40 - 58 cm
Weight	0.43 - 1.4 kg

Description

They are dark brown on their upper halves and, on their lower halves, they are coloured with grainy (brownish-white) shades. Their tails are usually densely striped. They fly slowly and often sail on the updraught. When hunting, they dive very quickly, often vertically, towards their prey. When gliding, they slide with their wings extended horizontally and raised above a horizontal line while their heads are pulled between their shoulders. They emit a characteristically shrill sound, similar to a cat's meow. The wingspans of adult birds measure from 1.1 to 1.4 m. They live in leafy, mixed and coniferous forests and hunt in open water and feed primarily on small rodents, as well as on birds, lizards, frogs and various insects. They nest in April and May in tree trunks.