Abstract
Documentation of interspecific adoption of young is rare in the published literature among birds. We survey six cases of young Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) adopted in nests of White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in central Europe (Czech Republic and Hungary). Common Buzzard nestlings adopted were in good condition and adult White-tailed Sea Eagles fed and cared for them properly. Young Common Buzzards successfully fledged and left the White-tailed Sea Eagle nests. The most probable explanation of this phenomenon is a non-lethal predation of Common Buzzards followed by White-tailed Sea Eagle parental care as a result of parental recognition error. Similar cases of adoption of Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nestlings in nests of Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) have been documented in North America.