Pernis apivorus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) is an insectivorous bird of prey in the family Accipitridae breeding in Europe and western Asia, and wintering in Africa. The European honey buzzard was formally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. He placed it with the falcons and eagles in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco apivorus. Linnaeus cited earlier works including the 1678 description by the English naturalist Francis Willughby and the 1713 description by John Ray.
The European honey buzzard is one of four species now placed in the genus Pernis that was described by Georges Cuvier in 1816. It is a monotypic species, with no subspecies being recognised. The genus is more closely related to kites in the genera Leptodon and Chondrohierax, than to the true buzzards in Buteo.
The binomen is derived from Ancient Greek pernes πέρνης, a term used by Aristotle for a bird of prey, and Latin apivorus "bee-eating", from apis, "bee" and -vorus, "-eating". In the 19th century, it was also sometimes known as the 'pern' or 'common pern', from the scientific name.
The European honey buzzard is... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Ranua Wildlife Park | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 3 | Heinola bird sanctuary | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Lusen National Park Centre | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Wisentgehege Springe | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 7 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Minsk Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 9 | Wildpark Tannenbusch | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Zoopark Limpopo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 11 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 12 | Ивановский зоопарк | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 13 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 14 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 15 | Birding center in Eilat | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 16 | Дэльфінарый | 🇧🇾 Belarus |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Honey-buzzard sighting in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 322nd most-seen of the 345 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a European Honey-buzzard in Tsavo East National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most European Honey-buzzard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
25th of 33
Of the 33 parks where we can rate European Honey-buzzard sightings, Tsavo East National Park ranks 25th at under 5%. The best odds are in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of the Congo, about 20%), Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%) and Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the European Honey-buzzard that you can see in Tsavo East National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Bateleur (about 50%), Tawny Eagle (about 40%) and Eastern Chanting-Goshawk (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the European Honey-buzzard is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo East National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
