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BUZZARD
Buteo buteo
 Buzzard © Derek Belsey
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: green
Long-term trend
UK, England: rapid increase
UK population size
31,100–44,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06); 44,000–61,000 territorial pairs in GB in 2001 (Clements 2002)
Status summary
The Common Buzzard has shown a substantial eastward range expansion since the 1988–91 Atlas, and is arguably now the most abundant diurnal raptor in Britain (Clements 2002). The increasing trend identified by the CBC relates especially to the spread of range into central and eastern Britain, where CBC was more strongly represented. If anything, however, the upsurge has been ampified with the addition of the more geographically representative BBS data since 1994. The increase has been associated with improving nesting success, perhaps through reduced persecution, the recovery of rabbit populations from the effects of myxomatosis and release from the deleterious effects of organochlorine pesticides (Elliott & Avery 1991, Clements 2002).
 

Population changes
 
CBC/BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Buzzard

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 39 1967-2006 216 419 251 1372    
  25 1981-2006 328 197 105 392    
  10 1996-2006 725 39 29 50    
  5 2001-2006 887 7 2 14    
CBC/BBS England 39 1967-2006 130 483 268 1367   Small CBC sample
  25 1981-2006 198 286 167 681    
  10 1996-2006 440 77 61 100    
  5 2001-2006 559 32 24 41    
BBS UK 11 1995-2006 669 47 37 60    
  10 1996-2006 703 39 31 50    
  5 2001-2006 887 9 3 16    
BBS England 11 1995-2006 400 90 68 117    
  10 1996-2006 424 78 58 96    
  5 2001-2006 559 32 24 40    
BBS Scotland 11 1995-2006 115 24 6 51    
  10 1996-2006 118 15 0 36    
  5 2001-2006 132 -14 -22 -3    
BBS Wales 11 1995-2006 132 5 -8 23    
  10 1996-2006 138 7 -4 22    
  5 2001-2006 161 2 -6 11    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS England graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
BBS Scotland graph
BBS Wales graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Buzzard

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2006		 Change Comment
Clutch size 38 1968-2006 31 None        
Brood size 38 1968-2006 94 Curvilinear 1.87 chicks 1.95 chicks 4.6%  
Daily failure rate (eggs) 38 1968-2006 26 Linear decline 0.7% nests/day 0.12% nests/day -82.9% Small sample
Daily failure rate (chicks) 38 1968-2006 47 None        

 
Clutch size graph
Brood size graph
Egg nest failure graph
Chick nest failure graph

 

Insufficient data on laying dates
available for this species

 

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
 

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Leech, D.I., Joys, A.C., Noble, D.G.,
Barimore, C., Grantham, M.J., Risely, K. & Robinson, R.A. (2009).
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2008.
BTO Research Report No. 516. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Iain Downie, Mandy T Andrews and Laura Smith: Last updated 18.02.2009