Home range size and breeding dispersal of a common buzzard (Buteo buteo)

Abstract

Telemetric studies have provided ample information on threatened raptors, but still little is known about space use and dispersal of common species. Here I describe the home range and breeding dispersal of a GPS-tracked adult male common buzzard, studied in south-eastern Estonia in 2014-16. This buzzard's home range covered 8.3 km2 (kernel 95% estimate) with the core range being 2.1 km2 (kernel 50%). The home range increased in the course of the breeding season but decreased again before migration. Surprisingly, the nests in the two successive breeding years were located in the opposite margins of the home range, 1.7 km from each other.