When it comes to dining, the Common Buzzard of British countryside fame isn't particularly fussy - its menu changes with the seasons, the weather, and whatever happens to be abundant.
As the UK's most common bird of prey, these adaptable hunters have successfully recovered from historical persecution largely thanks to their flexible feeding habits.
Main Diet: Small Mammals
Small mammals form the backbone of the Common Buzzard's diet throughout the UK. Voles, particularly field voles, top the menu when available, followed closely by rabbits, mice, and rats.
Studies show that these small mammals can make up 60-80% of a buzzard's diet in most areas. Their hunting success depends on keen eyesight that can detect the slightest movement in the grass from considerable heights.
On a typical countryside walk, you might spot a buzzard perched prominently on a fence post or telegraph pole, head swivelling as it scans the ground below. This patient "sit-and-wait" strategy is energy-efficient and remarkably successful.
When prey is spotted, the buzzard drops directly down with outstretched talons, often disappearing momentarily into long grass before emerging with its catch.
A Common Buzzard eating meat
Beyond Mammals: A Varied Menu
While rodents and rabbits dominate their diet, Common Buzzards readily adapt when these prey items are scarce.
Birds form an important secondary food source, particularly in spring and summer when nestlings and fledglings are abundant. Pheasant chicks, young corvids, and smaller songbirds may all fall prey to an opportunistic buzzard.
Reptiles and amphibians feature seasonally in buzzard diets, with slow worms, common lizards, and frogs being taken when encountered.
After heavy rainfall, buzzards can be observed walking across fields with an almost comical deliberate gait, collecting earthworms that have come to the surface.
In late summer, they'll even catch larger insects like beetles and grasshoppers to supplement their diet.
Buzzard with a successful hunt for a rabbit
Seasonal Shifts in Diet
The buzzard's menu undergoes significant seasonal changes throughout the year:
Spring brings an abundance of young rabbits, making them primary targets when buzzards have hungry chicks to feed. During this breeding season, the adults must hunt more frequently and bring back larger prey items to satisfy growing nestlings.
Summer sees buzzards exploiting the temporary abundance of fledgling birds, reptiles basking in the sun, and large insects. During haymaking, these opportunists are often seen circling recently cut fields, swooping down to catch rodents exposed by the machinery.
Autumn finds buzzards taking advantage of newly plowed fields, which expose previously hidden prey. Groups of two or three birds may be spotted walking across freshly turned earth, picking up worms, insects, and the occasional disturbed rodent.
Winter poses greater challenges, pushing buzzards to become more opportunistic. With rodent activity reduced and many prey species hibernating, buzzards rely more heavily on carrion and roadkill. They'll investigate any potential food source, from dead rabbits and pheasants to sheep afterbirth in lambing fields. This scavenging behavior becomes particularly important during periods of snow cover when hunting live prey becomes extremely difficult.
Close up portrait of a Common Buzzard
Hunting Techniques
Common Buzzards switch up their hunting tactics depending on prey type and habitat:
The most frequently observed method is perch-hunting, where they sit on prominent vantage points scanning for movement below. Farm gate posts, isolated trees, and telephone poles all serve as perfect hunting perches.
In open countryside lacking suitable perches, buzzards employ a "hover and pounce" technique. Unlike the kestrel's prolonged hovering, a buzzard's hover is brief - just long enough to pinpoint prey before dropping down. This behaviour is particularly noticeable over rough grassland and moorland edges.
Occasionally, especially during summer, buzzards resort to low, quartering flight over fields and meadows, similar to a harrier's hunting style. This adaptation allows them to flush prey from longer vegetation where it might otherwise remain hidden.
After capturing prey, a buzzard typically carries smaller items to a favourite feeding perch, while larger catches are consumed on the ground. They tear prey apart with their hooked beak while firmly gripping it with powerful yellow feet.
Buzzard launching an attack from above
Buzzards and Domestic Animals
A common concern among some pet owners and smallholders relates to buzzards and domestic animals. In reality, a typical buzzard lacks the size and strength to tackle anything larger than a young rabbit.
Adult domestic cats and even large rabbits are generally safe from buzzard predation. While very small pets (guinea pigs, small rabbits) could potentially be at risk if left unattended in open gardens where buzzards regularly hunt, documented cases are extremely rare.
Chickens and other poultry can occasionally attract buzzard attention, but primarily young chicks rather than adult birds. Simple deterrents like reflective tape or supervised free-ranging periods significantly reduce any potential risk.
Common Buzzard with mouse
Conservation and Diet
The buzzard's dietary flexibility has been key to its conservation success story in the UK. Once persecuted and restricted mainly to western regions, the species has made a remarkable recovery, now breeding throughout Britain. Their adaptable feeding habits have allowed them to thrive in diverse landscapes, from remote moorlands to the edges of suburban areas.
This dietary adaptability doesn't just benefit the buzzard population - it makes these birds valuable indicators of ecosystem health. A landscape supporting healthy buzzard populations typically contains abundant small mammals, balanced prey-predator relationships, and diverse habitat types.
The next time you see that familiar broad-winged silhouette soaring over the British countryside or hear the distinctive mewing call, you're witnessing one of nature's most adaptable diners on the lookout for its next meal - whatever that might be.
Buzzard about to strike