Steppe buzzard

Introduction: Steppe buzzards (Buteo vulpinus) inhabit open areas such as savannah, grassland and woodland. Observed singly, they perch prominently on fence-posts, leafless trees and telegraph poles.

Distribution: Widespread in central and northern Namibia, with populations patchy. Range includes Etosha National Park, Caprivi, Windhoek and Kalahari Desert.

Diet: Eats mainly insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars and termites. Also takes rodents such as the striped mouse, reptiles and small birds such as weavers.

Description: Vulpinus is Latin for 'fox-like' which really means tawny coloured. Often confused with the slightly smaller and more slender forest buzzard.

Breeding: Palearctic breeding migrant to Namibia.

Size: 50cm.

Weight: 800g.

Wingspan: 1.2m.