A European honey buzzard was found with a fracture to its clavicle (collarbone) on Monday and was treated at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority hospital for wild animals and freed at the Palmachim nature reserve.
The honey buzzard, also known as a pern, was probably injured from a collision while it was migrating and was evacuated by the Israel Nature and Park Authority (INPA) "Animalbulance" to a special hospital which is run jointly with the Israel Safari.
The honey buzzard nests in Europe and the closest nesting place to Israel is in Turkey. In August the first-ever nesting in Israel was spotted in the Western Galilee.
The honey buzzard is a bird of prey of medium size. Its length is 55 centimeters long, its back is dark brown and its front is a spotted dark grey.
In Israel, the honey buzzard is a known migrating bird, and is the most common migrating bird of prey, as its flocks sometimes number in the thousands. The buzzards usually fly over the eastern part of the country, but young ones who make navigation mistakes sometimes fly over the more populated western side, and thus are more prone to collide with buildings or other infrastructure.
When hikers see a wounded animal or an animal in distress, the INPA encourages them to call its hotline at *3639.