Buzzards

Some people consider all hawks to be pests, believing that they eat game birds such as grouse and ducks, or that they kill song birds. For these reasons, buzzards and other hawks have been killed in large numbers in some regions. Fortunately, however, this is rarely the case today, and few people now seek to kill these predators.

To some degree, buzzards have also been detrimentally affected by the toxic effects of insecticide use in agriculture and forestry. However, these birds have been somewhat less damaged by pesticides than some other types of raptors, such as falcons and eagles.

In fact, because they eat large numbers of small mammals, which can cause serious agricultural damages, buzzards provide a useful service to humans.

Because of buzzards' large size and fierce demeanor, many bird-watchers avidly seek out quality sightings of individuals, which can represent a highlight of a day's field expedition.