Common Buzzard – a bird of prey of the hawk family that lives in the forests of Europe and Asia. Its name comes from the “moan” because the voice resembles the mournful howling of cats.
Based on this, the people began to call the bird a Buzzard.Life expectancy is about 20-25 years, but there are individuals who live up to 35 years.
Taxonomy:
- Class Aves – Birds
- Squad Falconiformes – Birds Of Prey
- Family Accipitridae – Hawk
- Genus Buteo – Buzzards
- The species Buteo buteo – common Buzzard or Buzzard
A bird of medium size. Body length is approximately 50-58 cm, a wingspan of up to 130 cm, the weight varies from 450g to 1.4 kg, the length of the wings 40 cm, tail 28 cm, the Females are mostly more of its partners.
Common Buzzard has a variety of colors. It is impossible to meet two absolutely identical individuals. Some representatives observed brown, black, brown color. And the other a Falcon on the tail is prominent white transverse stripes or black dots on the abdomen. Some birds have a bright yellow cere, pale yellowish legs and dark color of the tip of the beak, the cornea reddish-brown color. There are many options.
A very unusual bird, which is striking plumage and diversity of colors.
Lifestyle and environment
The most common habitats are Eurasia, Central Asia, Ozerskie and the Canary Islands, Iran, Arabia, desert, Arctic circle. In Russia Sarich lives in Siberia, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin island.
Meet nomadic and settled by the representatives of the Buzzards, it depends on the habitat and climatic conditions. They choose only one partner and strictly limit their nesting sites. Jealously guarding their territory from other birds and expels all the “uninvited guests”. Do not lay more than 5 eggs, hatch and feed them one by one, until the nestlings learn to fly.
Common Buzzard can be easily recognized by his behavior. When the bird sits down, bends under her foot and shrivels. So they provide a recreational and simultaneously looking for a new prey. Flies long and silently. Seeing prey, the Falcon stone is released on the ground, to the ground and spreads its wings and grabs the prey.
To catch some prey, the Buzzard is required to hunt only in open spaces. To do this, he can spot a victim from ambush, or long to float in the air.
The power of the bird is a Buzzard
For hunting the bird prefers forests, alternating with meadows. Rarely hunt large prey, and chooses mostly small rodents and other animals. Foraging in the food of rats, moles, mice, rabbits, small birds, frogs, lizards, frogs, snakes, and even do not disdain carrion. Even use earthworms, if you can’t find favorite treats. The daily need for food is about 100-150 gg per year Sarich destroys up to 11 000 rodents, and a day about 30 individuals. It is a huge benefit to mankind.
Reproduction, mating behaviour and feeding of the Chicks
Mating season is in early spring. The male begins to flirt with the female and starts his courtship. He dances, floating in the air and performs plenty of stunts to attract attention. Often the males compete and fight amongst themselves.
When a couple is formed, begins construction of a new nest at a height of 4-15 m, or fix the old one.
Kaneuchi couples choose to arrangement most often:
- birch;
- pine;
- fir;
- aspen;
- spruce;
- Topol.
Favorite place is the fork of thick branches. The nest is made of dry twigs that entwine with the green grass or old.
If the first brood has failed, the female can lay one per season.
The hatching eggs do females, and the males look for food and guard the nest. Oviposition occurs in the late spring, and the incubation period lasts up to 36 days. Laying birds have a green color with brownish spots. The Chicks hatch in early summer, covered in dark gray fuzz with open eyes. But they are completely helpless and require care and maintenance.
In the first days the female is not excommunicated from the nest. Production of food for the whole family is engaged in the male. He throws it right into the nest where the female breaks it into pieces and feeds the young. They have a brood of different ages and if the production lot, the younger Chicks are catching up in the development of senior. In the end, survive. In some cases, older individuals are aggressive and killed the younger relatives of the litter. As they grow older children, the female begins to leave them alone and also engaged in hunting. At the age of 6-7 weeks, the Buzzards leave the nest and begin an independent life.
The benefit for mankind
In 1970 otolaryngologists had made the discovery about the benefits of these birds. Revealed that they destroy a huge number of rodents harmful to agriculture. They do not give and multiply to other pests: locusts, grasshoppers, the locust. It is known that the Buzzards are also being destroyed by the poisonous snakes that can cause great harm to human health.
The relationship between species and human
Not mankind always cared about Chanukah. Previously it was thought that they inflict great harm and therefore exterminated. It was assumed that they consume little leverets, birds that feed on pests that eat the Chicks.
In the Charter of the Russian Federation stated position on the shooting of these birds that eventually even rewarded. And they were inflicted irreparable harm due to the destruction of rodents with toxic chemicals, for which the species was on the brink of extinction.
But after a while the people realized the fallacy of their assumptions and mankind began to take care of Chanukah, or Mouser. It was acknowledged the ban on hunting and protection of species.This has helped the populations of Buzzards and in our time they were able to regain their density and strength.
The bird is a Buzzard is an unusual representative of the predators, which was of great benefit and necessary to the ecosystem. Humanity must instill respect from their descendants to them.
