102 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



Family— FALCONID^. Subfamily— BUTE O. 



The Buzzards. 



THB Buzzards are for the most part' heavy and rather awkward looking birds 

 of large size that are dispersed all over the world, except in the Australian 

 region. Eighteen species are known, three only belonging to the Western Palse- 

 arctic region, and of these three, two, the Common Buzzard, and the Rough-legged 

 Buzzard — the first a resident, the second an autumn visitor — come upon the British 

 list. Macgillivray writes that he knows of no distinction between the Buzzards 

 and the Eagles ; the Buzzards may be regarded as small Eagles, or the Eagles as 

 large Buzzards, and the Rough-legged Buzzard — Seebohm calls it the Buzzard- 

 Eagle — he considers the connecting link between the two. 



The Buzzards and Eagles are alike sluggish, spiritless birds ; they capture their 

 prey by dropping upon it when on the ground, rarely following it in the air ; 

 they are altogether wanting in the dash and courage of the true Falcons ; they 

 spend hours together perched in a seeming lethargic state upon trees or rocks, 

 and they are not unwilling to feed on carrion. They are powerful on wing, and, 

 although they hunt for their prey by flying heavily low over the ground, yet they 

 all delight in soaring in circles high in the air. The Buzzards chiefly prey upon 

 small mammals, reptiles, and insects ; their cry is a loud mewing call ; they 

 frequent large woodlands, equally with open moors, and the sea-coasts ; they nest 

 both in trees, and upon ledges of the rocks ; they are migratory ; and their 

 plumage is soft and full, and generally with a certain amount of gloss upon the 

 feathers. 



