This strikingly plumaged raptor is also known as the African red-tailed hawk, and occupies a similar ecological niche to that of our red-tails here in North America. Its name can be a source of confusion for Americans due to the varying uses of the word “buzzard”; in the New World, it denotes a carrion eating bird, while in Europe and Africa, it means hawk. Augurs are one of the highest-flying of all birds, preferring high- altitude habitats and frequently sighted soaring between 6,000 and 10,000 feet.