The Karoo Bustard has a gray-brown body, a black throat, and a black patch on the nape. It walks through stony Karoo shrubland while foraging.
The body is gray-brown, with black on the throat and a black patch on the nape. In flight, the wings show a black-and-buff pattern.
It is usually seen in pairs or small groups, walking as it searches for invertebrates, reptiles, grass, and seeds.
A single egg is laid in a shallow ground scrape, sometimes edged with pebbles. The female alone incubates; after hatching, she and the chick join the male nearby.
It frequently gives loud, frog-like calls. When water is available, it drinks in the morning and evening.
The sexes are similar, but males are slightly larger and have more black extending down the fore-neck. Juveniles have scattered whitish blotches on the head, neck, and body.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.