Status in UK:
(A) Migrant Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
56 cm
Wingspan:
142 cm
Weight:
M/F: 730 g
Scientific name from:
Gr.: pernes=a type of hawk
and L.: apis=a bee + -vorare=to devour
World Distribution:
BREEDS: Europe & c Asia, WINTERS: s Europe to s Africa
Habitat:
Open wood and forest edge
Diet:
Mostly bees and wasps (Hymenoptera), also other insects, small vertebrates
TitBit:
Not only is it not a buzzard, it doesn’t feed on honey, rather it spends large amounts of time on the woodland floor excavating wasp nests to feed on the grubs, the head feathers are scale-like to provide some protection against stings
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
33 to 69 pairs
in 2000
  First Record:
1675
Latest Survey:
Batten, L.A. (2001) British Birds 94:143-144
Conservation Status: AMBER
because
Small Breeding Population,
These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)