They favour open grasslands, light woodland, bush, scrub and desert fringes. They prefer open areas as they have to run down their prey, and densely wooded terrain would make this difficult. In the Kruger Park this would include the southeastern parts of the mixed bushwillow woodland and thorn thicket habitats. They are also found in the Delagoa thorn thickets and the thornveld/marula/knobthorn savanna habitats. They avoid forest and woodland with thick undergrowth.