Records of brown plumage aberration in the Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Abstract

The Common Buzzard Buteo buteo presents high plumage variation, but individuals in aberrant plumage are recorded extremely rarely. In August 2005, near Templewo (western Poland), a dead Common Buzzard with aberrant plumage was found. Another individual with aberrant plumage was observed on 14 August 2011 near Minoga (southern Poland). Both birds were beige in most parts of the body with a retained light brown and orange feather pattern. This is the brown mutation, an exceptionally rare plumage aberration in the Common Buzzard.