What they like

Open spaces with perches. A post by the road, a bare branch, a hay bale: fine. He hunts over grassland, field margins, heath and large parks. Do: leave hedgerows and shelterbelts standing. Plant hawthorn and blackthorn as a sturdy edge. Put a rough corner with tall grass in your garden and let mice do their work. On the yard: less “tidy”, more messy edges.

Ecological importance

The common buzzard is a cleaner and a mouse-manager. On the menu: mainly voles, also earthworms, large insects and carrion. He themself is mostly taken as an egg or chick by the goshawk or fox. Lots of buzzards? That usually means there’s enough prey and landscape structure.

When in the Netherlands

Year-round. Courtship and breeding in spring; in winter often extra individuals from the north.

Status

Common; resident. Protected species.