Jackal Buzzard ( Buteo rufofuscus, family: Accipitridae)

jackal buzzard Kruger National Park birds The Jackal Buzzard (Latin name Buteo rufofuscus) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 152 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 526 also a picture of the Jackal Buzzard on page 480. The Jackal Buzzard belongs to the family of birds classified as Accipitridae.

The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps

Kruger National Park Jackal BuzzardEndemic species is one that is confined to a specific country or region. For example certain birds endemic to South Africa only exist in that country. One such example is the Jackal Buzzard and this species depends upon a particular habitat for survival. Destroy that habitat and the bird will possibly be lost forever.

In terms of distribution of the Jackal Buzzard in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Jackal Buzzard : see above distribution map.

Identification assistance for this avian species ...

The Jackal Buzzard is a bird about the size of a Francolin now called Spurfowl. The height of the Jackal Buzzard is about 44 cms and its weight is about 97 gms

The male and female Jackal Buzzard have the same plumage and colours

  • Head is black.
  • Eye is orange.
  • Bill is grey.
  • Throat is brown.
  • Back is black.
  • Legs are yellow.

This bird has normally proportioned leg length.

Main diet items for this bird ...

The Jackal Buzzard feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly

Other Birds

Smaller animals

Aquatic life forms

Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...

The Jackal Buzzard is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Buteo rufofuscus will seek out a new mate

The nesting habit of Jackal Buzzard is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 t0 3

Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...

The preferred habitats for Jackal Buzzard are: woodlands and grasslands

You will not see Jackal Buzzard in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.

Names of this avian species in other languages ...

Xhosa ... Indlandlokazi

Zulu ... iNhlandlokazi/isiKhobotho

Afrikaans ...Rooiborsjakkalsvol

German ... Felsenbussard

Portuguese ... Btio-de-cauda-vermelha

French ... Buse rounoir

Dutch ... Jakhalsbuizerd

First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list

For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...

Robert's 7th edition number ... 152

The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za