Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae

Augur Buzzard

Buteo augur

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A large, robust African raptor, unmistakable in typical adult plumage: blackish back, white underparts and an intensely reddish orange tail. In flight it shows a pale wing patch. There is a melanistic form in which the whole body darkens, and juveniles are mostly brown.

Weight

880 g – 1.3 kg

Size

48 cm – 60 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Carnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird

43countries 35parks43same family

Fun facts

It is a generalist predator that prefers small mammals, supplemented with reptiles and birds.
Its taxonomy is still unsettled: some authors group it with the jackal buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus) and Archer's buzzard into a single superspecies.
Archer's buzzard, endemic to Somalia, was synonymised with this species by BirdLife in 2013 and has been treated as a subspecies by the International Ornithological Congress since 2022, though it may be no more than a colour morph.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: A mountain species, typically at around 2,000 m and up to 5,000, and of the adjoining savannah and grassland. It also occupies deserts, scrub, farmland, eucalyptus plantations and even the outskirts of towns, always with open hunting ground and cliffs or wooded hills in which to nest

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; BirdLife DataZone (ficha Buteo augur); Ferguson-Lees y Christie, Raptors of the World; Birds of the World (Cornell Lab)