- Lifespan
- 12–17 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 48–56 cm, wingspan 110–130 cm; 400–750 g (females larger than males)
- Habitat
- Extensive reedbeds, marshes, and wetland areas with tall vegetation for nesting and hunting.
- UK Distribution
- Summer breeder across southern and central England, with smaller populations in Wales and Scotland; winters in small numbers; increasing resident population with some continental birds wintering in the UK.
- Diet
- Hunts small to medium-sized birds, small mammals, amphibians, and occasionally fish, often captured in low, quartering flight over reedbeds.
- Prey
- Reed warblers, coots, moorhens, small ducks, water voles, frogs, and fish
- Predators
- Golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, and occasionally larger raptors; eggs and chicks vulnerable to corvids and stoats
- Mating Season
- April to August
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–5 eggs; incubation period 29–30 days; fledging at 35–42 days; typically one brood per season
- Behaviour
- Highly aerial hunter with distinctive low, hovering flight pattern; males perform spectacular sky-dancing displays during courtship. Highly territorial and return to same breeding sites annually; females do most incubation while males provision food.