Eurasian Buzzard (Common Buzzard)

The Eurasian Buzzard is a medium-to-large raptor with a broad, rounded tail and wide wings. When soaring, it often forms a shallow 'V'. Plumage is notoriously variable, ranging from pale cream to very dark brown, usually featuring a pale breast band and heavily barred underparts.

Rich grayish-brown background with distinct, evenly spaced dark brown horizontal barring (subterminal bands) and paler whitish-buff mottling toward the inner web

Strongly pennaceous vane with tightly interlocked barbs and barbicels providing aerodynamic resistance; small plumulaceous tuft at the extreme base near the calamus

Stiff, smooth, and matte finish with firm, interlocking vanes designed to withstand the rigors of flight

Distinctive horizontal brown barring against a pale grayish-white background, rounded tip, and sturdy pale rachis typical of a Buteo secondary feather

Woodlands interspersed with open fields, agricultural land, heaths, and moorlands where they can hunt small mammals

Widespread across temperate Europe and parts of Asia, resident year-round in the United Kingdom including Norfolk

Acts as an apex avian predator controlling populations of small mammals, rabbits, and amphibians, serving as an important indicator of ecosystem health

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) and Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), though honey buzzards have distinct dark trailing edges on the wings and goshawks feature more pronounced spotting and barring

Buzzards frequently soar in circles on thermal currents, emitting a distinctive mewing call that sounds remarkably like a domestic cat

Good overall condition with intact barbs, minor natural wear at the tip, and a clean shaft indicating it was likely dropped during the natural summer molt

Found on a golf course in Norfolk, England