Buzzard
- The common buzzard in captivity can live up to 30 years, which significantly exceeds its lifespan in the wild.
Age
The Eurasian buzzard experiences several developmental stages, beginning with the “embryo” stage where the embryo develops inside an egg, receiving nourishment from the yolk and growing until hatching. Following this, the “nestling” stage sees the young bird in the nest, being fed pieces of meat by its parents for a duration of one month and two weeks to two months. Subsequently, the species enters the “juvenile after rapid growth” stage, lasting from six months to two years, during which the young bird learns to fly and hunt independently. The age of sexual maturity ranges from four months and two weeks to three years. The adult stage, where the bird is capable of reproduction and independent food acquisition, lasts from two to twenty-five years. A typical lifespan for the species is from twenty-one years and seven months to thirty-six years, with a maximum recorded lifespan of twenty-eight years and ten months, and a theoretical lifespan ranging from twenty years and one month to twenty-eight years and eight months.
Phenotype
The buzzard has a short hooked beak used to receive food from parents, and young birds possess downy feathers that retain body heat; juvenile plumage features numerous stripes and spots for camouflage, and their wide wings aid in flight. After rapid growth, the species’ wings remain wide, assisting in aerial stability. An adult buzzard exhibits a hooked beak for tearing meat, exceptionally sharp eyesight to spot small animals from a height, and strong sharp claws to capture and hold prey. The adult’s wings are also broad, enabling prolonged soaring without flapping.
Physiology
The Eurasian buzzard’s body length ranges from 50 to 58 centimeters, with a wingspan of 1.24 meters; its mass varies from 0.61 to 0.91 kilograms. During the “Embryo” stage, the developing individual has a body mass of 55 to 75 grams and a body length of 5.5 to 6.5 centimeters. The “Nestling” stage is characterized by a body mass from 150 grams to 0.7 kilograms and a body length of 30 to 45 centimeters. Following rapid growth, the young buzzard has a body mass ranging from 0.55 to 1.1 kilograms and a body length of 45 to 55 centimeters. An adult individual’s body mass is between 0.65 and 0.95 kilograms, with a body length of 50 to 56 centimeters.
Habitat
The Eurasian buzzard inhabits terrestrial landscapes, including forests, and is found at elevations up to 2 kilometers. This species occupies temperate mixed forests with warm summers and many oak, birch, and maple trees, as well as flooded meadows with abundant grass where the ground is often inundated, and taiga characterized by cold winters and numerous coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate varies; it can be consistently very wet with frequent rain and high humidity, or feature cool summers with snow in winter, or warm summers with little to no rainfall, or warm and pleasant summers with abundant rain, or simply warm summers and mild winters.
Shelter
The Eurasian buzzard is located in the crown of a tall tree or on a rock, and the species uses a nest as shelter. The nest is a nesting structure built or used for laying eggs and raising young. Nesting materials include branches, twigs, and grass.
Geography
The Eurasian buzzard occupies the Palearctic biogeographical region and is found in several ecosystems, including Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, Balkan mixed forests, Baltic mixed forests, and coniferous and mixed forests of the Pyrenees.
Feeding
The Eurasian buzzard primarily feeds on small mammals, employing an ambush and quick pounce hunting strategy; it observes prey from trees or poles, or slowly circles in the air. The species’ diet includes voles, mice, rabbits, small birds, lizards, insects, hares, and pikas, as well as pigeons, white-backed voles, rats, squirrels, and chipmunks. Food intake for the species ranges from 120 grams to 180 grams daily, and hunting involves active pursuit and ambush tactics.
Reproduction
The Eurasian buzzard’s embryo develops for 3 weeks and 4 days; the female lays eggs in a nest, and clutches consist of 2 to 4 young. Pairs of buzzards live together for many years, and both parents take turns incubating the eggs and feeding the chicks. The size of the brood is 2 to 4. The species reaches maturity from 2 to 3 years of age. Reproduction occurs every 1 year.