G. Austin et Dc. Houston, THE BREEDING PERFORMANCE OF THE BUZZARD BUTEO-BUTEO IN ARGYLL, SCOTLAND AND A COMPARISON WITH OTHER AREAS IN BRITAIN, Bird study, 44, 1997, pp. 146-154
The laying dare, clutch size, brood size and number of fledged young w
ere recorded from Buzzard nests at several study areas in mid-Argyll.
These data are compared with other published studies to see if there a
re regional trends in breeding biology in Britain. Laying dates are re
markably constant throughout Britain. There are, however, highly signi
ficant differences in clutch size between study areas. These do not fo
llow any latitudinal gradient and it is likely that local factors such
as habitat and prey availability are more important determinants of c
lutch size. In particular clutch size was found to be low in areas whe
re Rabbits were scarce and birds were an important component of the di
et. There were also marked differences in hatching and fledging succes
s between different areas in Britain. Buzzards in Argyll, despite layi
ng comparatively small-sized clutches, have among the highest fledging
success of any area. This is largely due to high egg survival. Human
predation is unimportant in Argyll, but in some other areas of Britain
it contributed to reduced breeding success.