Do you know this situation ? You are out birding and spot a raptor far away. You point your spotting scope at the bird, excited about what it might be. But a quick look immediately reveals that it is “just” a Common Buzzard. You’ve already seen hundreds of those birds in your live and after a quick look, you move on to find other, more “interesting” birds.

But why not give the Buzzard a closer and longer look? The Common Buzzard is the most common raptor in Europe and the species that you will see most often in many places. I agree that a Lesser Spotted Eagle might be much more exciting for you (and it would be for me, too), but a Common Buzzard is a fascinating bird. When you give it a closer look with a spotting scope you will see that it is a beautiful bird. Common Buzzards, like many Buteo species, have a very variable plumage, so almost no birds looks identical to another. They also show some interesting behavior, especially their impressive display flights, which can best be seen during late morning on a warm spring day (check the edges of a forest). The Buzzards show a wonderful undulating flight, similar to those of a Golden Eagle. If you give them only a short glance, you will miss this. It might also be interesting to find out something about the age of the bird. Adult Common Buzzards have a dark iris, juvenile ones normally one that is light gray. Juveniles also lack the dark subterminal band on the tail of the adults.

Learning everything about the Common Buzzard will also be very helpful once you see a similar, but rarer species. The more you are familiar with the Common Buzzard, the easier will you recognize another species like the European Honey Buzzard or a Lesser Spotted Eagle.

The same holds true for other more common birds. Learn everything about the Eurasian Kestrel and on your next trip to Spain, you will have less trouble telling them apart from the Lesser Kestrel. Learn everything about Dunlins and other more common shorebirds in your area, and it will be easier to find a rare vagrant.

As I already wrote about the Common Buzzard, the more common birds show behavior that isn’t less interesting than those of the rarer species. So the next time you see a Common Buzzard, take some time to look at this magnificent bird.