Graureiher vs Rotschwanzbussard

Ardea cinerea compared with Buteo jamaicensis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Graureiher	Rotschwanzbussard
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Aves (Vögel)	Aves (Vögel)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Accipitriformes (Greifvögel)
Family	Ardeidae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Ardea	Buteo
Species	Ardea cinerea	Buteo jamaicensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Graureiher and Rotschwanzbussard share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Vögel)

Conservation Status

Graureiher

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Rotschwanzbussard

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Graureiher	Rotschwanzbussard
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	95 cm	—
Average Weight	1.5 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Graureiher

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Rotschwanzbussard

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Graureiher

A large, elegant wading bird reaching up to 1 meter in height, gray herons inhabit wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Patient, solitary hunters, they stand motionless for long periods before striking fish, frogs, and small mammals with lightning-fast dagger bill strikes. They nest colonially in tall trees in rookeries called heronries, sometimes shared with other colonial waterbirds. Widely distributed and of Least Concern globally.

Rotschwanzbussard

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway