The European honey buzzard gathers in huge flocks at Israel’s Eilat stopover during migration between Europe and Africa.
It breeds across much of Europe and western Asia and usually migrates to tropical Africa. Many birds travel through the Middle East, with Eilat and surrounding areas serving as important observation points during spring and autumn passage.
The species is a specialist feeder on the nests and larvae of social wasps and bees, although it also eats other insects, small vertebrates, and fruit. Its feathered face and tough scales help protect it from stings while it digs into nests.
Honey buzzards can resemble common buzzards, especially because plumage varies considerably. Their migration is also easy to confuse with that of other soaring raptors. Unlike many raptors, they often concentrate along narrow routes where geography channels birds around large water barriers.