One of the UK's rarest breeding birds, Honey-buzzard is a raptor with a predilection for the grubs of wasp and bees.
While undoubtedly a rare breeding bird, the Honey-buzzard's preference for secluded mature woodland and secretive behaviour – spending relatively little time in the air – means that it is probably under-recorded.
Honey-buzzard is a summer visitor, whose wintering grounds lie to the south of the Sahara.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Honey-buzzard
Buzzard is a familiar bird, but in summer and during migration time there is always the chance of finding a Honey-buzzard. Would you be confident in identifying it? Have a look at this guide to help you tell the difference.
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Honey-buzzard, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Begging call
Call
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Honey Buzzards are localised summer visitor, mostly arriving from May onwards, with a pulse of migrants in September in some years.
Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells) and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
An overview of year-round movements for the whole of Europe can be seen on the EuroBirdPortal viewer.
Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland
Encountered in:
Winter (Nov-Feb); Spring (Mar-Apr); Summer (May-Jul); Autumn (Aug-Oct)
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Honey-buzzard, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
Numbers are stable or increasing, hence the Hooded Crow is not a species of concern and no conservation actions are currently required.
As is the case with Carrion Crow, Hooded Crows have been blamed for the declines of other species such as songbirds and waders, leading to calls to control numbers, and legal control of crows still occurs on shooting estates.
HONBU 
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