Aron Tanti

Medium-sized raptor, feeds mainly on nests, larvae, pupae, and adults of social wasps, hornets, bumble-bees; also other insects, small animals, nestlings and eggs of birds. Monotypic, breeds in Europe except Ireland, W and N Scandinavia, N Russia and parts of Iberia and Balkan, mainly in forests with ample clearings, glades, or rides, where light soil suitable for digging. Population stable, hence status is Least Concern. Migratory; almost entirely a summer visitor to Europe. Migrate mostly using thermals also capable of crossing large water bodies using non-stop flapping flights (Vansteelant & Agostini 2021).

Season of assessment

B

Population trendStable
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		241000-350000,289000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for European Honey Buzzard

Birds of Scandinavia and part of Finland move NE - SW, found in W Europe, Italy, S Spain and NW, W and C Africa; part of Finland and few from Sweden move NW - SE, found C and E Europe, Greece, Georgia and Near East. From the Low Countries birds move NE - SW, recoveries in France, UK (1), Morocco, Algeria, Ghana and Togo. Birds from C Europe move partly NE – SW; found in Italy, France, the UK (1), Spain, NW Africa and W Africa; partly N - S and (also from E Europe) NW - SE movement, found in Italy, Lebanon, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. First-year birds show larger variation in wintering range, shaped by wind and geography (Vansteelant et al 2017).

Recoveries by Condition for European Honey Buzzard

39% of the recoveries concerned birds that were shot, hunted or intentionally taken, 30% was found dead and 5,6% road casuality. Until 1960 86% of the recoveries were dead birds, including 62% shot birds. From 1961 to 1990 92% concerned dead birds, including 38% shot birds. From 1991 66% concerned dead birds, about 10% was shot.
Most birds were shot in France and Italy. Also in Georgia and along the Mediterranean east-coast. Other birds shot in Finland, C and E Europe, the Low Countries, Greece and Nw Africa.

Annual Movements for European Honey Buzzard

In Apr the first birds arrive in Europe but most arrive in May, few birds still in W Africa then. From Jun to Aug the breeding areas are ocupied: most in the Low Countries, C Europe and Finland, fewer in S Scandinavia and few in Spain. In Jul - Aug the first migrants are found in Lebanon, S Spain and NW Africa. In Sep fewer birds in breeding areas, more birds in S Europe, Georgia and Near East, few birds in NW and W Africa. In Oct more birds in W Africa, still many in S Europe, especially Italy and Greece. Recoveries in breeding areas from Oct - Mar are mostly found dead and normally would not be there. From Nov - Mar the sub-Saharan winter areas are occupied. In Mar the first migrators appear in NW Africa and Near East.

Connectivity by Month by Region for European Honey Buzzard

Birds from Finland found Sep Oct in E Europe, C Europe, Greece, Georgia, Near East, Italy, W Europe and S Spain (also Aug). From Mar-Apr reports from E and C Europe, Near East and Italy. Loop migrations for E European birds documented (Agostini et al 2012; Agostini et al 2019). In NW Africa reports in Dec, Mar and May; in sub-Saharan Africa (from Guinea to DR Congo) found from Aug (immature) to Apr. Birds from Scandinavia found in W Europe (Aug - Jan), Spain (Jul and Oct); Ivory Coast and Ghana recoveries in Jan-Mar. From Low Countries birds reported in France (Sep-Nov), Morocco (Sep) and Ghana and Togo (Nov-Mar). C Europe birds found in SW France and Italy (most Sep-Oct, also May), Spain (Aug-Sep), NW Africa (Oct-Dec, May) and between Liberia and Eq.Guinea (Oct-May). One bird found Lebanon (Aug).

Henk van der Jeugd

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
Agostini, N., Lucia, G., Mellone, U., Panuccio, M., Von Hardenberg, J., Evangelidis, A., Kominos, T.2012 . Loop migration of adult European Honey Buzzards (Pernis apivorus Linnaeus, 1758) through the Central-Eastern Mediterranean. Italian Journal of Zoology 79 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11250003.2011.623245) : 280–286
Agostini, N., Prommer, M., Váczi M., Panuccio, M. 2019 . Repeated large scale loop migrations of an adult European Honey Buzzard. Avocetta 43: 13–21
Vansteelant, W.M.G, Agostini, N.2021 . European honey buzzard Pernis apivorus. In: Migration strategies of birds of prey in Western Palearctic. Eds: Panuccio, M., Mellone, U, Agostini, N. Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351023627) Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton
Vansteelant,W.M.G., Kekkonen, J., Byholm, P.2017 . Wind conditions and geography shape the first outbound migration of juvenile honey buzzards and their distribution across sub-Saharan Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 284 article no.: 20170387 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.0387)

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