Steppe Buzzard ( Buteo vulpinus, family: Accipitridae)
The
Steppe Buzzard (Latin name Buteo vulpinus) is described in Roberts Birds
of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number
of 149 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 522
also a picture of the Steppe Buzzard on page 480. The Steppe Buzzard
belongs to the family of birds classified as Accipitridae. According to
the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Steppe
Buzzard is also known by these other names: Common Buzzard, Buzzard.
The Robert's 7 Latin name for Steppe Buzzard has changed from Buteo buteo in Robert's 6 to Buteo vulpinus
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
The Steppe Buzzard is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park.
In terms of distribution of the Steppe Buzzard in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Steppe Buzzard : see above distribution map.
The Steppe Buzzard.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
The Steppe Buzzard is a bird about the size of a grey hornbill. The height of the Steppe Buzzard is about 50 cms and its weight is about 640 gms
The male and female Steppe Buzzard have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is brown.
- Back is brown, black.
- Legs are yellow.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Steppe Buzzard feeds on the ground mainly
Reptiles
Other Birds
Smaller animals
Invertebrates
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Steppe Buzzard is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Buteo vulpinus will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Steppe 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 to 3
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Steppe Buzzard are: woodlands and grasslands and riverine areas
You will normally see the Steppe Buzzard by itself rather than in the company of birds of the same species.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Isangxa
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Bruinjakkalsvol
German ... Musebussard
Portuguese ... Btio-comum
French ... Buse des steppes
Dutch ... Buizerd
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 149
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
