Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo).
A predatory bird the size of a buzzard. Body length is 51—57 cm, wingspan is 110—130 cm. Females are generally larger than males. The weight of males is about 600 g, females up to one kg. The wings are quite short. The tail is striped, short, and rounded.
The coloration varies greatly, from pale to dark brown. The flight is relatively slow. It spots prey from the air, soaring for long periods, sometimes stopping and "shaking" its wings in place, similar to a kestrel. The bird can easily be confused with the closely related rough-legged buzzard or the more distantly related common honey buzzard, which mimics the coloration of the buzzard for protection against the northern goshawk. Generally, young individuals are more colorful. The voice of common buzzards is nasal, resembling a cat's meow.
It hunts in open spaces, slowly soaring in the air or most often ambushing from an elevation. It feeds on a variety of animal food. The main prey includes small rodents, frogs, insects, and occasionally birds. It eats carrion and can sometimes fall victim to the goshawk or large falcons.
In case of migration to summer habitats, they arrive between mid-April and mid-May, depending on the climate.
They nest in forests, on the branches of deciduous or coniferous trees at a height of 4—15 m above the ground. The nest is built from dry twigs, then woven with old grass. They may also use green twigs, especially when the chicks hatch. They lay 3-4, rarely 5 eggs measuring about 56 x 45 mm with a dirty white shell covered with brown or reddish spots. Egg-laying occurs in April-May, and the incubation period lasts 33—36 days. The chicks appear in late May-June, initially covered in brown down. Both the male and female feed the chicks until they are able to fly. The chicks can take flight in 43—50 days. If for any reason the first brood fails, the female is capable of laying a second clutch in the season.
Red Book