MIGRATION: A FLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
he European Honey-
buzzard Pernis apivorus is
a bird of contradictions.
Despite its sugary name, it
doesn’t eat honey. Its main food isn’t
even bees: it relies more on the larvae
of wasps and hornets. Shifting up and
down its perch and bobbing its head
from side to side, it uses its needle-
sharp vision to spot the stinging insects
and follow them back to their nest.
Here, it unsheathes its long talons,
disembowelling the nest and often
carrying it whole to the forest floor to
plunder it further.
The European Honey-buzzard has
some fascinating adaptations which
allow it to nonchalantly shrug off a
barrage of stings. A natural armour of
scale-like feathers protect its head, and
it is also thought to have a chemical
deterrent coating its plumage. It’s a
tough lifestyle – no other birds do it.
But its diet isn’t the only
contradiction. The European Honey-
buzzard isn’t a true buzzard, either:
it is actually more closely related to
kites. The similarity of its plumage to
the Eurasian Buzzard Buteo buteo,
especially in juveniles, is instead
thought to be an intriguing case of
mimicry. In order to ward off the
predatory Northern Goshawk Accipiter
gentilis, the European Honey-buzzard
may be aping the appearance of a
stronger, tougher species.
The final contradiction comes from
the “European” part of its name, since
the species doesn’t stick to just one
continent. Instead, it overwinters in
tropical Africa, making its way to Europe
to breed. On migration, this usually
solitary species flocks together, using
the earth’s magnetic field to orientate
itself – supplemented by an incredible
visual memory for landmarks and the
ability to take advantage of winds.
Like the White Stork Ciconia ciconia,
T
EUROPEAN
HONEY-BUZZARD
FACT FILE
WINGSPAN: 130-150 CM
TOP SPEED: 80 KM/H
THREATS: SHOOTING,
HABITAT LOSS
APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE
The European Honey-buzzard
takes off in flocks from tropical
Southern Africa, soaring on
updrafts. Avoiding large bodies
of water, it diverts via the
Bosporus, Batumi, Gibraltar or
Messina straits before travelling
as far as Scandinavia to breed
in late spring.
EUROPEAN
HONEY-BUZZARD
MIGRATION
ROUTE
it diverts around the Mediterranean
Sea, funneling over the narrowest sea
crossings such as the Gibraltar Strait
and the Messina Strait.
It is here that they become easy
targets for poachers, who shoot down
staggering quantities of migrating
birds for fun. The Messina Strait, on
the southern tip of Italy, was once one
of Europe’s worst “blackspots” for the
illegal killing of raptors. In fact, as many
as 5,000 Eurasian Honey-buzzards
were unlawfully killed there every year.
But back in the 1980s, something
inspiring started to happen.
LIPU (BirdLife in Italy) had the
innovative idea to hold “anti-poaching
camps”, whereby volunteers from all
over the world would travel to the
area to keep watch over the migrating
birds. Their presence alone deterred
many poachers, but volunteers were
also quick to report any illegal killing
incidents they witnessed, aided by the
National Forestry Corps. The first years
were intense, with threats, physical
aggression, shooting at police vehicles
and helicopters, and even a bomb
destroying LIPU’s local office, but
eventually the continued effort to fight
unlawful activity paid off.
Thirty years later, they are still going
– but they’ve brought in others, too.
Over the years, the presence of the
camps has changed local attitudes,
and now members of the community
work alongside volunteers to protect
the birds that pass through their area.
Furthermore, LIPU and their volunteers
have developed a monitoring network
that provides the police forces with
advanced information on where the
‘waves’ of raptors will be landing –
allowing them to be present in the right
places at the right time.
The result has been extraordinary.
The number of European Honey-
buzzard casualties per year have
dropped from 5,000 to only 100.
It’s an inspiring tale of hope – but
the story hasn’t ended yet. Across the
rest of Italy, illegal shooting is still rife.
LIPU is now looking outwards, planning
to expand this success to tackle the
illegal shooting and trapping of Eurasian
Skylarks Alauda arvensis and quails
in Puglia, or the unlawful trapping of
Eurasian Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla in
Sardinia. There are also plans to support
local livelihoods by promoting bird
tourism in the area. Past triumphs hints
at the sweet taste of success.
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