European Honey-buzzard

Lanky raptor with a slender head and long wings with prominent “fingers.” Plumage is highly variable, but note tail pattern: pale overall with a dark tip, and two wide-spaced narrow dark bars on the basal half. Compare with the much stockier Common Buzzard, which has a shorter neck, more rounded wings, and steadier wingbeats. Adult has yellow eyes (brown on Common Buzzard). Favors forested areas with clearings and small wetlands, but migrants may occur in any habitat.

In Sri Lanka, the "European Honey-buzzard" is not typically found, as the species primarily inhabits Europe, and the honey buzzard species present in Sri Lanka is the Crested Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus), which prefers lowland and hilly areas with dense broadleaf forests, sometimes even venturing near villages in small groves; essentially, wooded areas with open glades are its preferred habitat.

The European honey buzzard's diet mainly consists of wasp and hornet larvae and nests, but it may also eat small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.