Beneath the Beechen Crown: The Honey-buzzard in Britain and Ireland

Beneath the Beechen Crown is the first monograph on the Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus in Britain. This book offers a comprehensive overview of our knowledge about the species, from its discovery in the late seventeenth century as distinct from the Buzzard Buteo buteo, to its occurrence in the British Isles through to the present day. Although this elusive raptor has been studied intensively in Britain since the late 1980s, factors affecting its distribution and its fluctuating annual breeding populations remain poorly understood. This volume begins to change that: with chapters covering Honey-buzzard range, breeding biology, plumage, measurements, diet, calls and migration, all aspects of its natural history and behaviour are investigated in detail. Furthermore, for avian scholars there is a complete literature review of observations from The Zoologist and British Birds journals spanning 1843 to 2022. Captivatingly illustrated throughout with evocative field sketches and portraits by an acclaimed wildlife artist, wandering through haunts in southern England, France, Spain and Bulgaria, the Honey-buzzard’s world is vividly presented as never before. This book is aimed at all ornithologists with an interest in the history of British birds, in particular the Honey-buzzard and its conservation. Having spent 65 years watching this remarkable species up close, the author offers unique personal insights into its habits and movements.