Common buzzard

    Buteo buteo

Castilian: Busardo ratonero

Catalan: Aligot comú

Gallego: Miñato

Euskera: Zapelatz arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Falconiformes

Family: Accipitridae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

Presently specimens continue to be killed by illegal hunting, in addition to deaths caused by electrical cables, being run over by vehicles, and poisoning.

Length / size: 46-58 cm / 110-132 cm

Identification: Medium-sized, pudgy bird of prey with short, wide wings, a short tail, and colouration that varies from off-white to dark brown. The most common colouration in adults is brown on the back and lighter on the belly with a whitish spot on the chest. In flight, a wide white band and another dark one behind it can be observed, similar to the tail, which can also appear barred.

Song: It makes a sound similar to a cat's meowing, "pee aaa pee aaa".

Diet: Its diet is very diverse and this bird takes advantage of all the resources it has. It feeds on worms, carrion, birds, reptiles, rabbits, amphibians, and small mammals.

Reproduction: It nests high in large trees and both sexes are responsible for building or repairing the nest, made of branches and sticks and covered with fresh leaves. The eggs are laid in April or early May, both adults participate in incubation and, when the chicks are born, they are cared for by the mother while the male maintains them.

HABITAT

It in habits different areas, given that it is not a very demanding species; thus we can see it in mountain forests, grasslands, landscapes that alternate between treeless areas and meadows, fields, etc. In winter it can appear in fields without vegetation.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It occupies almost the entire peninsula, and is most common in the northwestern part, Basque Country, Catalonia, Navarre, Extremadura, western Andalusia, and the Canary Islands. It is absent in the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

In Castile and León: It breeds in all the provinces, although it reaches higher concentrations in the northern third of the community.

Movements and migrations: Nordic specimens have been observed in passage in our latitudes, where some of them stay for the winter while others cross the strait between mid-September and late October. In winter, some residents move from mountainous areas to valley and plains where the climate is less harsh.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 13000-18000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 2500-3500 breeding pairs.