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Long-legged Buzzards are medium-sized raptors. Their plumage comes in 3 different morphologies, dark, rufous and pale. The commonality between all morphologies is that the underwings have white, grey-barred flight feathers with prominent black tips all round, thus creating a prominent dark fringe. They also all have a prominent black carpal patch. Dark-morphology birds are otherwise all dark-brown. Their tail is grey with a black terminal band. Rufous-morphology Long-legged Buzzards have a rufous front with a somewhat lighter breast band and rufous underwing coverts. The tail and undertail coverts are cinnamon to pale-rufous. Pale-morphology birds are similar to the rufous morphology, only the parts that are rufous in the latter are paler yet. Irises, legs and feet of all morphologies are yellow. The strongly down-curved bill is yellow with a black tip. Juveniles are paler than adults, with an off-white, rufous-streaked head, nape of the neck and front from chest to belly. Only the vent, undertail and trousers are dark-brown. Their bill is grey with a black tip.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Long-legged Buzzard is available HERE .

There are 2 recognized races of Long-legged Buzzards, which are a partly migratory species. Nominate race "rufinus" has an extended breeding range, from the Balkans to Mongolia and India. Birds in Asia Minor and the Middle East are sedentary. The migratory part of the population overwinters in Africa. Race "cirtensis", which is sedentary, populates parts of the Sahara desert, from Mauretania to Egypt in the East, and parts of the Arabian peninsula.

In Europe, Long-legged Buzzards, nominate race "rufinus", are breeding migrants to the South-east, from Greece in the South to Serbia in the North, southward of the river Danube, as far to the Eastand east as the Black Sea. They are not found in the Danube delta or along the Adriatic coastline. Race "cirtensis" has recently been reported to breed in southern Spain.

During the breeding season Long-legged Buzzards have a preference for arid steppe to semi-desert and for mountainous terrain.

Race "rufinus"