Augur Buzzard

The augur buzzard is found in the highlands (above 3,000 feet) of eastern Africa from Eritrea south to Zimbabwe. There are also isolated populations in western Angola and central Namibia. It is black above and white below. Males have a black throat and females have a white throat. In flight the feathers are all white, except for black feathers at wing edges and a short red tail. In the forest, about 10% are all black (melanistic). It feeds on small animals: rodents, hares, hyraxes, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and grasshoppers. We saw one augur buzzard standing in a dead tree in Shaba National Reserve. 

Female augur buzzard. Photo by Mark Edwards