Augur Buzzard Africa: East Africa’s Most Commonly Seen Highland Raptor
The augur buzzard is the most frequently encountered large raptor across East Africa’s highland areas. It is a conspicuous bird that soars on thermals above the highland escarpments, roads, and open country of Kenya’s central highlands, Ethiopia’s plateau, and Uganda’s highland zones. Any road journey through East Africa’s highlands will pass augur buzzards perched on roadside poles and soaring overhead at regular intervals.
The species is a common and familiar bird in highland East Africa in the way that the common buzzard is familiar across European landscapes. It is large enough to identify from a moving vehicle, vocal enough to locate by sound, and tolerant enough of human presence to allow close approach in areas where it is regularly exposed to vehicles and people.
Identification
The standard augur buzzard plumage shows white underparts and a bold rufous-red tail that is the most diagnostic field identification feature. The head and upperparts are dark grey-brown. In soaring flight, the white underparts and white underwing contrasting with the dark carpal patches and the rufous tail create a distinctive pattern visible from considerable distance.
A dark or melanistic morph also occurs in some populations, particularly in Ethiopia and parts of northern Kenya. Dark morph birds are entirely black below. They retain the rufous tail, which distinguishes them from other all-dark raptors that might otherwise be confused with a dark augur buzzard from below.
Both morphs may occur in the same area, and intermediate individuals with partial dark plumage on the underparts are occasionally encountered. These intermediate individuals can cause identification difficulty but the rufous tail remains consistent across all plumage variants and provides the most reliable single identification feature.
Behaviour and Habitat
Augur buzzards inhabit highland areas above approximately 1,200 metres altitude, preferring escarpments, mountain slopes, highland forest edges, and the open plateau country of Kenya and Ethiopia. The species is most abundant between 1,500 and 3,000 metres altitude where the combination of thermals generated by the escarpments and open ground for hunting prey creates ideal conditions.
The birds soar extensively during the morning hours when thermals develop above the warming escarpment slopes. Soaring individuals use the thermals to gain height before gliding across the landscape in search of prey. The soaring flight is effortless and graceful, with the tail and wings held in a characteristic flat soaring posture with the wings slightly bowed.
Prey includes small mammals such as rodents and hyraxes, lizards, large insects, and occasionally snakes. The birds hunt from soaring flight by dropping onto detected prey in a fast angled stoop. They also hunt from stationary roadside perches, watching the ground below and dropping onto prey that moves within range.
Where to See Augur Buzzards in East Africa
Kenya’s central highlands and the Rift Valley escarpments are the most productive augur buzzard environments in East Africa. The Nairobi to Nakuru road passes through augur buzzard habitat throughout its length and produces regular sightings from the car window without requiring any detour or specialist stop.
The Aberdare Mountains and Mount Kenya’s lower slopes carry augur buzzard pairs in their forest edge zones. Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains and Semien Mountains carry the species at high density above the treeline. Uganda’s highland areas in the Rwenzori foothills and the Kigezi highlands of the south-west produce augur buzzard sightings on any highland circuit through these areas.
Tanzania’s Ngorongoro highlands, particularly the crater rim road and the Olmoti area above 2,500 metres, produce augur buzzard sightings on any drive through the highland zone above the crater. The birds are particularly visible soaring above the crater rim in the thermal activity that develops after mid-morning.
Plan Your Birding Safari
Augur buzzard sightings are virtually guaranteed on any East Africa safari that includes highland areas in Kenya, Uganda, or Tanzania. No specialist effort is required. The species is visible from moving vehicles on all highland roads throughout the region.
The dark morph birds of Ethiopia and northern Kenya provide an additional identification challenge and a darker image for photographers used to the standard pale-bellied form encountered throughout central Kenya and Uganda.
African Wild Trekkers designs East Africa safari itineraries through highland areas where the augur buzzard is a daily raptor sighting alongside the less common highland eagle and falcon species. Contact us to plan a safari that covers East Africa’s full raptor diversity from the lowland savanna to the highland escarpment zone.
