The grasshopper buzzard feeds mainly on insects although it will also take small birds, rodents and reptiles. It hunts from a low perch, looking for large insects, which are its main prey, catching them on the ground, or sometimes on the wing after a brief aerial chase. The grasshopper buzzard is quite sociable and is often seen in groups of 50 to 100 birds, most frequently in recently burnt areas where there are insect emergences. Grasshopper buzzards are specialise on catching grasshoppers during the non-breeding season and when breeding they consume a range of insects, mostly grasshoppers and beetles, also scorpions and sun spiders when breeding, but the bulk of their breeding season diet is dominated by reptiles and other vertebrates such as frogs, rodents, and birds are also regularly taken during this time.