Hundreds of Thousands of Honey Buzzards Migrate Over Israel

The autumn migration of honey buzzards has begun over Israel, with an estimated 400,000 birds expected to pass through in the coming weeks. These birds are traveling south from their nesting grounds in Eastern Europe and Western Asia to wintering sites in East Africa, south of the Sahara Desert.

According to Nadav Israeli, a senior ornithologist with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the honey buzzard is a medium-sized raptor with a wingspan of about 130 centimeters. It primarily feeds on the larvae of bees and wasps.

The honey buzzard is among the first raptors to migrate over Israel each autumn. Following them, tens of thousands of other raptor species, including lesser spotted eagles, black kites, and eastern imperial eagles, along with approximately 20 other raptor species, will also make their journey. In addition to raptors, storks, pelicans, cranes, and dozens of species of waders, ducks, and songbirds will also migrate over the country.