Species › Birds

European Honey Buzzard

Pernis apivorus

Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Presence in the Strait: Migrant
Abundance: abundant
Protection in Spain: Special protection (List)
In Spanish: Abejero europeo

59% of its open observations in the area are from September.

Photograph: Alidz31, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 56 cm
Wingspan: 130–150 cm
Weight: 725 g

Presence in the Strait

Abundant migrant (>80,000 post. migr.).

Identification

Usually seen in flight in large flocks. Slightly larger than a Buzzard, with narrower wings and neck, long tail with two distinctive narrow dark bars at base and a prominent wider terminal band. Lower parts may vary in colour, from very pale to dark brown.

Movements

Very concentrated migration, with peaks in 1st hf. May and 1st hf. September.

Ring recoveries

Sweden (2), Switzerland (1) and Denmark (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

59 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 27 April 1972
Latest record: 20 September 2025

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: NT · Near threatened · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

4 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Sweden2
Switzerland1
Denmark1

See the journey on the map

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
GBIF taxon key: 2480420

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Alidz31, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

European Honey Buzzard

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery