European Honey Buzzard

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European Honey Buzzard in the UK

Honey Buzzard is a rare and secretive summer visitor that winters in tropical Africa. Most arrive from May and leave by September. The breeding population is small and hard to count: published figures are in the low tens of pairs, and both the total and the trend are uncertain. Pairs are thinly scattered, with most records from southern England, plus Wales, North Yorkshire and Scotland. It is Amber-listed and protected under Schedule 1. Nest sites are kept confidential because of the risk from egg collectors. In some autumns a pulse of Continental migrants passes through in September.

Where and when to see a European Honey Buzzard

The Wykeham Forest raptor viewpoint in North Yorkshire is the best-known public watchpoint: scan over the valley from late May to August. Choose a warm, bright day and watch from mid-morning to early afternoon, when birds soar and males display with a wing-clapping flight. Elsewhere, any high public viewpoint over a large forest gives a chance. Do not search for nests. On passage, watch south and east coast headlands in late August and September.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Mature woodland (summer).
Diet: Wasp larvae, frogs.
Field note: Specialist of wasp nests.

How to identify a European Honey Buzzard

Similar in size to a Common Buzzard but built differently. The head is small and narrow and sticks out on a longer neck, like a pigeon's. The tail is longer, with rounded corners and a distinct pattern: two dark bars near the base and a broad dark band at the tip. Wings are longer, pinched in at the body, and held flat or slightly drooped when soaring, never in a V. Wingbeats are slow and loose. Plumage varies from pale to very dark. Adult males have a grey head and a yellow eye.

Call and song

Rarely heard, and mostly near the nest. A clear, thin, whistled 'peee-lu', more plaintive and musical than a Common Buzzard's mewing call. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Common Buzzard: Common Buzzard has a short thick neck, a shorter, finely barred tail and soars with wings raised in a shallow V.

Month by month

A summer visitor, typically in the UK from May to September. Numbers peak in June. See the June birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in UK raptors and owls.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the European Honey Buzzard is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Crested Honey BuzzardLegendary · Forest (extreme vagrant)
• Spotted FlycatcherUncommon · Mature gardens
• Wood WarblerUncommon · Mature oak/beech woodland (summer)
• Eurasian Golden OrioleRare · Mature broadleaf woodland
• Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerRare · Mature deciduous woodland
• Garden WarblerUncommon · Scrub

European Honey Buzzard: quick answers

Where can I see a Honey Buzzard in the UK?

Use an established public raptor viewpoint and be patient. Birds may show only once or twice in several hours, often high and distant, so take a telescope. Away from watchpoints, most birders see theirs as a migrant over the coast in autumn.

What does a Honey Buzzard eat?

Mainly the grubs of wasps and bees. It follows adult wasps back to the nest, digs the comb out with its feet and eats the larvae. Early in the season, before wasp nests are big enough, it also takes frogs, lizards and nestling birds.

Is the Honey Buzzard rare in the UK?

Yes. It is one of the rarest breeding birds of prey here, and its habit of spending long periods inside the canopy makes it look rarer still. It is common across much of mainland Europe.

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