European Raptor Species
There are currently 40 raptor species breeding in Europe, which fall into 7 main categories:
- Falcons
- Eagles
- Hawks
- Buzzards
- Kites
- Harriers
- Vultures
Two European birds of prey, the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), and the European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), don’t really belong in any of the categories above, and are each classified as a separate genus within the family of Accipitridae.
However, for the sake of simplicity, we have included the Osprey with the eagles, and the European Honey Buzzard with the buzzards.
Now let’s take a closer look at all of the species of raptors that occur in these categories. Each bird name in the list below is hyperlinked to a page with a detailed species description, in case you’re interested in learning more about that particular raptor.
Falcons
- Lanner Falcon
- Peregrine Falcon
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Barbary Falcon
- Eleonora’s Falcon
- Gyrfalcon
- Lesser Kestrel
- Red-footed Falcon
- Eurasian Hobby
- Saker Falcon
- Merlin
Eagles
- Golden Eagle
- Booted Eagle
- White-tailed Eagle
- Bonelli’s Eagle
- Greater Spotted Eagle
- Eastern Imperial Eagle
- Lesser Spotted Eagle
- Spanish Imperial Eagle
- Short-toed Eagle
- Steppe Eagle
- Osprey