Augur buzzard: Difference between revisions

| image = Augur buzzard (Buteo augur).jpg

| image_caption = [[Ethiopia]]

| image_upright = 1.2

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = <ref name="iucn IUCNstatus 11 November 2021">{{IUCNcite iucn |author=BirdLife International |iddate=227320192016 |title=''Buteo augur'' |assessorvolume=BirdLife International2016 |assessor-linkpage=BirdLife Internationale.T22732019A95040751 |versiondoi=201310.22305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22732019A95040751.en |year=2012 |accessdateaccess-date=2611 November 20132021}}</ref>

| genus = Buteo

| species = augur

| authority = ([[Eduard Rüppell|Rüppell]], 1836)

| range_map = 1427 - = Augur Buzzard ebird data map.png

The '''augur buzzard''' ('''''Buteo augur''''') is a fairly large [[Africa]]n [[bird of prey]]. This species Theis taxonomydistinct onin thistypical speciesadult isplumage confusing,for withits someblackish taxonomistsback, consideringwhitish thisunderside speciesand orange-red tail, thewhile juvenile augur buzzards are generally rather brown in colour; however a [[jackalPolymorphism (biology)|dark buzzardmorph]] is known, andwhich causes the [[Archerbird's buzzard]]entire body to bebecome thedarker. sameThis member of the ''[[superspeciesButeo]].'' genus Manyis taxonomistsdistributed considerin themseveral allparts toof bethe distinct,central havingand differentsouthern callsAfrica, differentnormally homebeing rangesfound andfrom variations[[Ethiopia]] into plumagesouthern [[Angola]] and central [[Namibia]]. It is resident and [[bird migration|non-migratory]] throughout its range. This is a species of mountains (most typically at about {{convert|2000&nbsp;|m|ft|abbr=on}} altitude, but up to {{convert|5000&nbsp;|m|ft|abbr=on}}), and adjacent savannah and grassland. ItThis is residenta andtypical buteonine raptor, being a [[birdGeneralist migrationand specialist species|non-migratorygeneralist predator]] throughoutwhich itstends range.to prefer It is normally found fromsmall [[Ethiopiamammal]]s tosupplemented southernby [[Angolareptile]]s and central [[Namibiabird]]s among various prey items.<ref Thisname= speciesFerguson-Lees>Ferguson-Lees, isJ., also& Christie, D. A. (2001). ''Raptors of the [[Seattleworld''. Seahawks]]Houghton liveMifflin mascotHarcourt.</ref>

[[File:Augur buzzard kisoroAugurbussard-Serengeti.jpg|thumb|left|A melanisticAn augur buzzard in flight[[Serengeti National Park]].]]

Augur buzzards are one of two larger ''[[Buteo]]'' species endemicnative to Africa, alongside their cousins, the similarly sized [[jackal buzzard]]. Adults measure about {{convert|48|to|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} with a large wingspan of {{convert|120|to|149150|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name= Ferguson-Lees>Ferguson-Lees, J., & Christie, D. A. (2001). ''Raptors of the world''. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.</ref> Males weigh from {{convert|880|to|1160|g|lb|abbr=on}} while females weigh from {{convert|1100|to|1330|g|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses, 2nd Edition'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (2008), {{ISBN|978-1-4200-6444-5}}.</ref> A small sample of 5 augur buzzard weighed an average of {{convert|973.2|g|lb|abbr=on}} while 22 birds averaged {{convertcvt|131.5|cm|ftin|0|abbr=on}} in wingspan.<ref>Mendelsohn, J. M., Kemp, A. C., Biggs, H. C., Biggs, R., & Brown, C. J. (1989). ''Wing areas, wing loadings and wing spans of 66 species of African raptors''. Ostrich, 60(1), 35-42.</ref> The adult augur buzzard is strikingly plumaged and essentially unmistakable if seen well. It is an almost black brown above with a [[rufous]] tail that stands out strongly in contrast. The primary flight feathers are blackish and the secondaries off-white, both barred with black. Below the chin and around the throat is mainly white, and the rest of the underparts and the underwing coverts are rich rufous. The flight feathers from below are white, tipped with black to form a dark trailing edge to the wing.

The juvenile augur buzzard is mainly brown above and rufous brown below and on the tail. It can be confused with wintering [[Common buzzard|steppe buzzard]], but the augur is considerably larger and bulkier with broader wings and a heavier flight style and an unbarred undertail. Although not as dark as the adult on the back and upperwing coverts, it is usually noticeably darker than a juvenile steppe buzzard. The adult augur buzzard has white underparts and underwings. The female has black on the lower throat. Juveniles are brown above and buff below, the underparts later becoming white. Juveniles are similar to juvenile [[jackal buzzard]]s but are generally much paler below with bolder carpal patches and more clearly barred secondaries and tail. There is one additional subspecies of augur buzzard, endemic to northern [[Somalia]], ''B. a. archeri''. It is mildly smaller than other augur buzzards with extensive rufous mottling about the black-brown above and is almost entirely rufous below but for a small amount of rufous and black about the throat. There is a melanistic form of augur buzzard, all black, except for grey and white flight feathers that are barred black and contrast strongly with the black center and a chestnut tail. About 10% of birds are melanistic, but the proportion rises in forested areas with high rainfall to as much as 50% in some areas. A somewhat similar melanistic morph of [[jackal buzzard]] is also known and these birds can very hard to distinguish, perhaps only told apart by the stronger barring on the melanistic augur pale flight feathers. Dark morph [[long-legged buzzard]]s may also be confused for melanistic augur buzzards but are clearly more slender in the wing, less blackish on the body and lack the bold rufous tail. There are no melanistic individuals known in the ''B. a. archeri'' subspecies.<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/><ref name= Lendrum>Lendrum, A. L. (1979). ''The augur buzzard in the Matopos, Rhodesia''. Ostrich, 50(4), 203-214.</ref>

The augur buzzard is found in eastern and southwestern Africa. Despite its erratic looking-seeming distribution, it is often common in its range. The augur buzzard is found from eastern [[Sudan]] and [[Ethiopia]]<ref name="Meheretu2019"/> (also northern [[Somalia]], inhabited by the subspecies ''B. a. archeri'') down through the northeast of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Uganda]], [[Kenya]], parts of [[Tanzania]] into [[Zambia]], [[Malawi]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[Mozambique]], western [[Angola]] and west-central [[Namibia]].<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" IUCN/><ref name= Ferguson-Lees/> Despite its wide range in southern Africa it appears to only occur in [[South Africa]] as a vagrant.<ref>Layard, E. L. (1884). ''The birds of South Africa''. Bernard Quartich.</ref> The augur buzzard is found in [[Woodland edge|open]] or light [[Woodland|wooded]] [[Upland and lowland|upland]] areas but can also range into lowland deserts[[desert]]s at sea- level (such as in [[Namibia]]) and some more [[Mountain ecosystems|mountainous, precipitous areas]] of eastern Africa. By preference, theyThey seem to prefer to hunt in [[Plateau|elevated]] [[Savanna|savanna grasslands or]], high [[moorland]], [[Arable land|cropland]]<ref name="Meheretu2019">{{cite book |last1=Meheretu Yonas |last2=Leirs |first2=H |title=''Raptor perch sites for biological control of agricultural pest rodents''. In: Nyssen J., Jacob, M., Frankl, A. (Eds.). Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District |date=2019 |publisher=SpringerNature |isbn=978-3-030-04954-6 |url=https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030049546}}</ref> sometimes into [[Dry tropical forest|open forest]] or deserts[[Semi-arid climate|desert edges]] as well. Augur buzzards in [[east Africa]] usually live between {{convert|400|and|4600|m|ft|abbr=on}} elevation but normally occur above {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}} and have been recorded living at {{convert|5000|m|ft|abbr=on}} in [[Ethiopia]].<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/>

The diet of the augur buzzard is quite varied and opportunistic, as is typical of most ''[[Buteo]]'' species. It catches most of its prey on the ground, either by still-hunting from perch or swooping down from a soaring flight or, occasionally, from a hovering flight. They may also forage on the ground for both [[insect]]s and small [[vertebrate]]s. The primary foods for augur buzzards seem to include either small, terrestrial [[mammal]]s or [[reptile]]s, chiefly [[snake]]s and [[lizard]]s. Other prey may include small ground [[bird]]s (and sometimes the nestlings, fledglings or unwary adults of varied birds), [[insect]]s, and road-kill. In [[Zimbabwe]], 59% of the diet was comprised of reptiles while the remainder was mostly mammalian, leadled by [[Otomys|vlei rats]]. At one nest site there, lizards made up 35% of the foods and snakes 46%.<ref>Irwin, M. P. S. (1981). ''The birds of Zimbabwe''. Quest Pub.</ref> In [[Tanzania]], the stomach contents of augur buzzards were similarly comprisedconsisted mostly of assorted [[rat]] species and [[lizard]]s.<ref name="Loveridge">Loveridge, A. (1923, December). ''Notes on East African Birds (chiefly nesting habits and endo‐parasitesendo-parasites) collected 1920–1923''. In Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Vol. 93, No. 4, pp. 899-921). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.</ref> In the above [[Zimbabwe]] study, the most often taken reptiles recorded the [[giant plated lizard]]s and [[common flat lizard]]s but could extend to larger and more dangerous prey such as [[Nile monitor]]s (though doubtfully large adults) and highly venomous snakes such as [[Bitis arietans|puff adder]]s, [[Causus|night adders]] and [[Mozambique spitting cobra]]s.<ref name= Steyn>Steyn, P. (1983). ''Birds of prey of southern Africa: Their identification and life histories''. Croom Helm, Beckenham (UK). 1983.</ref><ref name= Loveridge/> Elsewhere [[Spalacidae|mole-rat]]s may be preferred, such as in [[Kenya]], and these are likely hunted largely from flight as their tendency to stay in the cover of tall grasses makes them difficult to still-hunt.<ref>Virani, M. Z. (1999). ''The breeding ecology and behaviour of the augur buzzard Buteo augur in relation to different land-uses in the southern Lake Naivasha area, Kenya'' (Doctoral dissertation, Biology).</ref> Occasionally larger prey are hunted including [[francolin]]s, [[Chicken|domestic chickens]], [[hare]]s and [[hyrax]]es, although other than rare cases mainly the juveniles of these prey types are targeted (especially in the case of hyraxes[[Cape hyrax]]es).<ref name= Ferguson-Lees/><ref name= Lendrum/><ref>Young, T. P., & Matthew, R. E. (1993). ''Alpine vertebrates of Mount Kenya, with particular notes on the rock hyrax''. East Africa Natural History Society.</ref><ref>Barry, R. E., & Mundy, P. J. (2015). ''Fluctuations in bush and rock hyrax (Hyracoidea: Procaviidae) abundances over a 13-year period in the Matopos, Zimbabwe''. African Journal of Wildlife Research, 45(1), 17-27.</ref><ref>Hockey P. A. R., Dean, W. R. J. & Ryan, P. G. (2005). ''Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed''. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.</ref>

<gallery widths="200px200" heights="150px150">

ImageFile:Augur buzzardBuzzard, Lake kisoroManyara.jpg|in flight near [[KisoroLake Manyara]], [[UgandaTanzania]]

ImageFile:Augur Buzzard RWD1(Buteo augur) RWD.jpg|Carolina Raptor CenterTanzania

File:Augur Buzzard in flightRWD1.jpg|Dark-morphCarolina Raptor Center