ABSTRACT
The Eurasian buzzard (Buteo buteo) is the one of the commonest Western Palaearctic raptors and an obligate soaring migrant avoiding crossing of large water surfaces. This flexible raptor species exhibits various migration strategies, which are largely attributed to subspecies. Westerly distributed Common buzzard B. b. buteo is partial, short-distance migrant wintering mostly in Western and Central Europe. The main migration direction is south-west along several minor migration corridors over land. The Common buzzard is a late and slow migrant in the autumn; spring migration is faster and it arrives early in breeding quarters. Easterly distributed steppe buzzard B. b. vulpinus conducts long distance migrations to sub-Saharan Africa. After the funnelling of birds from a large area from Eastern Europe and Western Asia, the main migration flight enters Africa in Djibouti south of the Red Sea (Bab al Mandab Strait); spring migration circumvents the Red Sea north and crosses Sinai. Autumn migration of steppe buzzard is earlier and spring migration later than those of the nominate form. Temporal changes in migration patterns of the Eurasian buzzard have been observed, being associated with climate change.
