Bateleur

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The Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers. It is the only member of the genus Terathopius and probably the origin of the Zimbabwe bird, national emblem of Zimbabwe.

This is a common resident species of open savanna country in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It nests in trees laying a single egg which is incubated by the female for 42-3 days with a further 90-125 days to hatching. Bateleurs pair for life, and will use the same nest for a number of years. Unpaired birds, presumably from a previous clutch, will sometimes help at the nest.

The Bateleur is a colourful species with a very short tail (ecaudatus is Latin for tailless) which makes it unmistakable in flight. The adult male is 60-75 cm long with a 175 cm wingspan. It has black plumage except for the chestnut mantle and tail, grey shoulders, and red facial skin, bill and legs.

The female is similar to the male except that she has grey, rather than black, secondary flight feathers. Immature birds are brown with white dappling and have greenish facial skin. It takes them seven or eight years to reach full maturity

The prey of this raptor is mostly birds, including pigeons and sandgrouse, and also small mammals; it also takes carrion.

The Bateleur is generally silent but on occasions it produces a variety of barks and screams.

Bateleur is French for "tight rope walker". This name describes the Bateleur’s characteristic habit of tipping the ends of its wings when flying, as if catching its balance.

Media

The world distribution of the Bateleur is shown in green

References

• BirdLife International (2006). [Terathopius ecaudatus]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.

• Barlow, Wacher and Disley Birds of The Gambia ISBN 1-873403-32-1

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