Talk:Common buzzard

Untitled
In North America, members of the true buzzard genus are often called buteos to avoid confusion with the older use of buzzard as a synonym for the Turkey Vulturejimfbleak 05:21 Mar 31, 2003 (UTC)

Article looking better. Thankyou Jim. Tanningffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

No longer common?
"Any raptor which happens to have the word buzzard as part of its name. In the past, the term was often loosely used in North America as a synonym for vulture, particularly the American Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture. This usage is no longer common."

I live in North America, and I've never heard the word buzzard used as anything other than a general term for vultures and condors, with two exceptions: (1) an intentionally derogatory word for birds of prey that are considered pests, such as the chicken hawk, or (2) a very rare term for any other large, carrion-eating bird, like the raven.

I would also argue that the usage of the word "buzzard" to refer to vultures is still very, very common. The American Black Vulture is still commonly called a "black buzzard" (at least in my experience), and the Turkey Vulture is called a "turkey buzzard" just as often as it's called a turkey vulture.

I'm modifying the paragraph. Just because a particular usage has waned in one part of North America doesn't mean that it isn't still common elsewhere. --Corvun 23:49, August 11, 2005 (UTC)

Query
Your last edit reads better. One query, "In the US, the term "buzzard" is never used to refer to birds of prey, like hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls, outside of this context."

To a Brit, using "buzzard" to refer to an owl, rather than a diurnal bird of prey seems odd. If you tell me that this is so, then fine, just checking really. jimfbleak 11:58, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

Instead of writing what one has heared or not, it might be better just to open a scientific book about birds. Here the word Buzzard is well described and used accurately. You have by name 4 buzzards in Europe. Namely: rough-legged Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard, common Buzzard and the Honey Buzzard. The latin family is Buteo. I assume that the same accounts for North America and also there will be birds of prey with this particular family name. Vultures,Falcons are also families where underneath you have particular species. For the falcons in particular you can see, since the picture in the article, supposing to be a Buzzard, is namely a falcon. Unfortunately I can not help with identifying the name since I am unfamiliar with American birds. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.147.13.163 (talk) 09:16, August 29, 2007 (UTC)

Buzzard largest bird of prey in England?
Isn't the Golden Eagle the largest bird of prey in England? And do we really mean England, Britain as a whole?


 * Common Buzzard is largest over most of England, bur very parochial, so chopped. Peregrine is a protected species and as a falcon is nothing like a broad-winged buzzard.

Something odd
If you go to the "buzzard" article, and then click on the "discussion" tab, you come to this page.

If you then click on the "article" tab, you get taken to a different article, on the Common Buzzard.Wardog 21:13, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
 * It's probably a leftover from a previous move. I fixed it. Sabine's Sunbird  talk

Not aware of any areas in England that support Golden Eagles. They tend to be found exclusively in the Scottish highlands & islands. The largest bird in Scotland is the White Tailed Eagle also known as the Sea Eagle


 * not so, there is a long standing well-known pair at Haweswater, and other (unadvertised) pairs elsewhere in the Lake District Jimfbleak 16:06, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Hi folks.. the photo "A buzzard with a freshly caught rodent, likely a vole." is not a common buzzard, or even a buzzard normally found in Europe.

It's an american red tail hawk Buteo jamaicensis - I'm a falconer and that's 100%

First paragraph
I am not entirely clear about the meaning of the first para - it seems to end without clarity. Rosser (talk) 20:46, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Distribution map re the UK
I would say that the distribution area for the UK should be moved a bit eastward of where it is at the moment. On the map as it stands, the buzzard is not shown to range even as far east as Birmingham, which is certainly incorrect' I've often seen them quite a bit further east than that. The RSPB has a map, here, which shows buzzards much further east, including Scotland right to the east coast. Loganberry (Talk) 00:29, 25 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Also the map text says Steppe Buzzard ranges into Scandinavia which is wrong.--Oskila (talk) 14:13, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Buzzards are widespread throughout Ireland [1]. Would be nice if the distribution map could be updated to reflect that.
 * [1] https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/11192 Objection1 (talk) 21:27, 9 March 2023 (UTC)

Behaviour
Could anyone please explain where the notion, these birds had incredible strength, came from? I could not find any reference, and from my own experience as well as from what hunters/falconers told me, I tended to believe the common buzzard has only mediocre strength and flying abilities copared to other raptors its size. I never witnessed a particularly powerful or rapid takeoff or climb, as for example that of hawks or capercaillies. They are mostly soaring along forest edges, and tend to land on treetops or poles for easy departure when not on the ground with prey. When encountered in the air by crows, magpies, harriers or hawks, they are barely able to defend themselves, and are often killed by flocks of magpies defending their breeding sites. Also, I never heard of them being used in falconry, allegedly because the lack the strength to kill game. Where I live, they are called "Mäusebussard" ("mouse buzzard" in german), as mice are their most common prey item. I never saw one killing anything larger than a rat, or taking off with an item as large as that. They do come to roadkill or other carrion, though, further indicating inferior hunting capabilities. I once whitnessed the dissection of a specimen killed on the highway, and neither its flying nor leg musculature was particularly impressive. But as I said, I found no hard references, and maybe other subspecies are more powerful, so feel invited to prove me wrong ;-) --Hypochthonius (talk) 10:11, 15 November 2013 (UTC)


 * Removed unsourced and dubious claim.  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  10:45, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

Map contradicts text
We say it is "resident year-round, except in the coldest parts of its range". However, the map shows East Africa, maybe the warmest part of its range, as its wintering area. Also, both India and South Africa are in its winter range, though their winters are 6 mos. apart. I suspect much of our description is wrong. — kwami (talk) 05:26, 1 January 2014 (UTC)
 * I think "range" here means "breeding range" - the green area on the map. Birds in the dark green areas are resident, those breeding in the colder light green areas spend the (northern) winter elsewhere - in Africa and India, which are not part of the "range" in this sense.--Keith Edkins ( Talk ) 10:07, 24 July 2015 (UTC)
 * , I've reworded the sentence that you were unclear about. Does that help? MeegsC (talk) 19:08, 18 November 2015 (UTC)


 * Yes, much better. Though the map still suggests that breeding only occurs in the light-green areas, whereas I suspect that it occurs in the dark green areas as well. Maybe s.t. like "breeding-season range"?
 * , I've tweaked the legend a bit. Is it clearer now, or does it still need more work? MeegsC (talk) 14:43, 2 December 2015 (UTC)


 * Yes, now it's much easy to understand. Though I suspect that the "resident range" overlaps with the migrant range and that's just not shown on the map. — kwami (talk) 18:51, 2 December 2015 (UTC)

Featured picture scheduled for POTD
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"Common buzzard)" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_buzzard)&redirect=no Common buzzard)] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Utopes (talk / cont) 01:54, 14 February 2024 (UTC)

Rambling article
This whole article needs rewritten. The style is unlike that of any other article on Wiki I've read and it rambles on, especially about plumage. 92.40.195.174 (talk) 06:12, 25 March 2024 (UTC)