| The elusive honey buzzard is best identified by its long head shape and distinctive 2 or 3 bars on tail. The tail bars are rarely seen, but they are diagnostic - long wings & tail are also useful in distant views. It has a flat winged sailing flight, and a continuous flapping flight when on passage. It is usually silent, but can make piping noises near nest. Sometimes confused with the common buzzard. Honey buzzards feed mainly on the nests, larvae, pupae and adults of wasps, bees, bumble bees and hornets. The birds follow flying insects to the nest and dig as deep as 40cm with their feet to reach their prey. When main prey is scare they will eat other insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, nestlings and eggs of birds, worms, fruit and berries. Its peculiar diet is also the reason behind its alternative name of ‘ bee hawk’. The honey buzzard has particular physical adaptations due to its unique diet. These include small, dense, scale-like feathers on the front of the face to help prevent the bird being stung by its insect prey, powerful feet with thick scales and slightly curved claws of almost equal size for digging and walking, as well as slit-like nostrils to reduce soil blockage while digging. Honey buzzards return from their wintering grounds in equatorial Africa in mid-May and autumn migration takes place in September. Migrating birds have been tracked using satellite transmitters (funded by the Forestry Commission Scotland) which demonstrated the vulnerability of young birds on their first migrations and the speed and continuous nature of the migration of the adult birds which undertake non-stop flights from Britain to Africa. It builds its nest on a branch of a large tree and this is done mainly by the female. Unlike in most birds of prey there is no aggression between the siblings, and there is usually little competition for food. If the female is lost, the male is able to successfully rear the brood alone. Age of first breeding is not known. The honey buzzard population is stable through most of Europe but a rare breeder in the UK.
Published population figures in 2001 confirmed 27 pairs of honey buzzards in the UK, but experience field workers estimate that there could be nearer 100 pairs of this secretive species. Honey Buzzards are usually found in areas where there are large mature forests. The population of honey buzzards in Wales is unknown, partly due to the inconspicuous nature of the bird itself and partly a reluctance to publish information on nest sites due to the threats of egg collectors. No statutory honey buzzard survey has ever been conducted.
Vital statistics | Eggs | 1 - 3 | | Incubation | 30 - 35 days | | Fledging | 40 - 44 days | | Length | 52 - 60cm | | Wingspan | 135 - 150cm | | Weight | 600 - 1,100g |
| From young to adult - click on thumbnails for a larger view: 
© Steve Roberts |