The Honey Buzzard
Pernis apivorus



This bird of prey is highly specialised in raiding the nests of bees and wasps and extracting wax and larvae from them by digging in with its claws.
It is considerably variable in colour and markings.
It usually nests on small ledges of branches and foliage of trees, often a carrion crow’s old nest.
It lives in large forests and hilly woodland areas. It arrives in April and migrates in September.
Its shape in flight is typical. As a matter of fact, the Honey Buzzard has a slender head (similar to a pigeon’s) on a particularly long neck, wings which are wide at the base and a relatively long tail. All these features help to distinguish the Honey Buzzard from the Common Buzzard.