The Socotra Buzzard is resident only on Socotra Island. A 2010 paper described it as a distinct species, noting brown upperparts, pale underparts and differences from related buzzards.
It is a small- to medium-sized buzzard with brown upperparts and pale underparts marked with brown bars and blotches. Adults have a pale gray tail with 10–12 narrow dark bands, the subterminal band broadest.
It lives in foothills and plateaux, especially where deep ravines occur. It perches on rocks, cliff ledges, trees and bushes to scan for prey; the paper lists reptiles and invertebrates as food and September–April as the breeding season.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.