It normally nests in trees and, rather than collecting and carrying nesting material to the nest, it makes use of clusters of dead pine needles, branches or existing nests of other species.

Phenology

The first chicks are hatched in March and the last in June. The average number of chicks per nest recorded in Mallorca is between 2 and 3. Incubation is carried out by the female over a period of 28 days.

Distribution

Widely found throughout the northern hemisphere, populations in Mexico, the Canary Islands, North Africa and China mark out the geographical extremes of their distribution. In Mallorca, it is thought of as a sedentary species existing in moderate numbers, and the population is on the increase in recent years across the Balearic Islands.