Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
Musvågen er en kraftig, bredskuldret rovfugl. Den er fredet i Danmark.
Powerful, broad-shouldered with broad, five-fingered wings and a short, square-cut tail. Brown, but varying from nearly white to very dark; most show a pale breast band, and the underwing carries dark carpal patches and a dark trailing edge.
Can be confused with
- Rough-legged Buzzard — Rough-legged Buzzard shows a white tail base with a broad dark terminal band, bolder carpal patches and feathered legs — and hovers far more than the Common Buzzard.
- European Honey Buzzard — Honey Buzzard glides on flat or slightly arched wings (the Common Buzzard raises them), with a longer tail, a smaller pigeon-like head and slower, more elastic wingbeats.
Plumage and variation
Juvenile: Juvenile resembles the adults but shows a paler eye and a narrower dark tail band.
Voice
A plaintive, drawn-out, far-carrying "pee-yow"; also cat-like mewing.
Behaviour
Hunts mostly from a perch — post, tree or road sign — dropping gently onto prey; otherwise soars expertly on thermals with raised wings. Eats anything from mice and earthworms to amphibians and carrion.
When and where
A common breeder with about 6,000 pairs (2000) in woodland near open country. About half stay year-round, the rest move south-west; in March–April and September–October thousands of northern birds pass through.
Facts
Wingspan
124 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
hawks, kites and eagles
Accipitridae
Order
hawks and eagles
Accipitriformes
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