Augur Buzzard

The Augur Buzzard is one of the most sought-after species to track on an African safari, and knowing its habits turns a hopeful search into a confident one. This field guide breaks down how to recognise the Augur Buzzard at a glance, the habitats and times of day that reward patient searching, and the practical tracking craft guides rely on. Read it before you set out and you will spend less time scanning empty bush and more time watching the animal itself.

Broad-winged buzzard with dark upperparts, white underparts and a rufous tail in adults.

Concentrate your search for the Augur Buzzard in Highland grassland, escarpments, open woodland and farmland edges., the habitat where it feels most secure and finds its food. It is most active Diurnal, often soaring in warm air., so plan your game drives around those hours rather than the heat of midday. Across the continent the species ranges through Common in highlands and escarpments of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia., and within that range the richest sightings come where prime habitat meets low human disturbance.

Finding the Augur Buzzard starts long before you see it. Learn the habitat it depends on — Highland grassland, escarpments, open woodland and farmland edges. — and you narrow the search from an entire landscape to a handful of promising corners. Animals are not scattered at random; they sit where food, water, cover and safety overlap, and the Augur Buzzard is no exception.