Whilst mainly brown, they have light patches on the underside of their wings, which can help to distinguish them from ravens or large crows at a glance. Their primary wing feathers also give the appearance of long fingers. A good way to spot buzzards is to listen for their distinctive and iconic 'mew' call. Other than size, they differ in the buzard by having a longer tail. They'll fly with their wings in a 'V-shape' and flight from perching, or at low altitudes can seem laboured, with long, slow wing beats until they gather momentum or hit the hot air column. If you are looking for even more excitement, you can have a go at flying a bird yourself, on our award-winning private and group experiences! Sparrowhawks are adapted to hunting in woodland, taking birds from blue tits to pigeons and everything in between. The females are much bigger than males, which effectively creates two different hunters in their area. Sparrowhawks have short, blunted wings with their primary feathers creating 'fingers.' These short wings allow them to fly between trees and small spaces at speed. Their tails are long and squared at the ends, giving them the skill and agility to manouvre tight corners.

Sparrowhawks were almost extinct in the UK after centuries of persecution and pesticides which caused their eggs to break before they could hatch. After sucessful conservation efforts, these birds are thriving now, and there could be as many as 40,000 pairs breeding in Britain.

Closer up, you can see their massive, broad wings have long fingers to them. Their feathers are generally a dark brown, gradually building to a golden brown colour on their heads; from which they get their name. The Golden Eagle. There's no mistaking this bird, down to its sheer size. As a naturalist once said; 'if you're in two minds as to whether it's a buzzard or an eagle, then it's a buzzard.' You just know when you've seen an eagle.

At The British Bird of Prey Centre, you can take a stroll around our aviaries and learn all about the different birds that live and holiday here in the UK. Stephen Message is one of the UK's foremost bird artists as well as an experienced birdwatcher. He studied Graphic Design, then specialised in natural history illustration at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and has worked as a freelance artist ever since. Stephen has twice been runner up for the Bird Illustrator of the Year, and he was the Birdwatch Artist of the Year in 2017. Stephen painted the beautiful cover artworks for all four editions of the RSPB Handbook of British Birds. He has illustrated many books in his career, including Waders of Europe, Asia and North America, Bill Oddie's Birds of Britain and Ireland and the Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia.