Common Buzzards

The Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) is Britain’s most widespread and familiar bird of prey, recognisable in flight by its broad, rounded wings and short, fan‑shaped tail, which it holds in a shallow ‘V’ as it soars in wide circles over woodland and farmland. Plumage varies considerably from dark chocolate brown to pale cream, but most birds have a mottled brown back, paler underparts, and a distinctive cat‑like ‘kee‑yaa’ call that carries well across the countryside. Opportunistic feeders, they take rabbits, voles and small birds, but are equally happy to scavenge carrion or even feed on earthworms and insects when prey is scarce. They pair for life, nesting in trees where both parents tend the young, and have made a truly remarkable recovery from mid‑20th‑century persecution — today there are over 63,000 breeding pairs, making them a welcome sight across almost the entire UK.