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Common Voles Were the Most Frequent Prey of Buzzards in Ojców, but Birds Dominated Biomass

Common vole in grass near Lanke, Brandenburg, Germany
Research · Ecology

Common buzzards (Buteo buteo) in Ojców National Park in southern Poland took a broad range of prey during spring and summer, but common voles (Microtus arvalis) were by far the most frequently recorded species. They accounted for 42.5% of the 120 identified prey items in a study published on 24 July 2026.

The study used material collected during the 2006–2010 breeding seasons, mainly pellets and prey remains found beneath occupied nests and roosting trees, supplemented by observations of buzzards carrying prey. In total, 19 species were identified among the prey.

Mammals dominated by number, making up 65.8% of prey items, while birds made up 19.2%. The biomass pattern was almost the reverse: mammals contributed 24.4% of the estimated prey biomass, whereas birds contributed 72%. Common voles alone represented 14.6% of the biomass despite their much larger share of prey numbers.

The author therefore describes the buzzards as dietary generalists in spring and summer: they took prey from several animal groups, but by number, small mammals formed the basis of the diet. The results also show that the prey caught most often were not necessarily the prey contributing most of the estimated biomass.

Sources and image credit

  1. Turzański, M. (2026). The composition of the spring-summer diet of the Common Buzzard Buteo buteo in Ojców National Park.Primary short communication published 24 July 2026. Spring-summer diet was studied in Ojców National Park during 2006–2010, mainly from pellets and prey remains with additional observations of buzzards carrying prey. Of 120 identified prey items, mammals made up 65.8% and birds 19.2%; birds nevertheless contributed 72% of estimated biomass. Common vole Microtus arvalis was the most frequent prey at 42.5% of items and 14.6% of biomass.

Image: Dieter TD / Wikimedia Commons — common vole (Microtus arvalis) near Lanke, Brandenburg, Germany. Representative image of the most frequent prey species in the Ojcow buzzard diet study; not an animal from the study. Cropped for News Desk framing. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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