Bateleur - Terathopius ecaudatus

One of the most striking birds of prey found in the world. Their bright red face contrasting against their black feathers give it quite a fearsome look. 

Their acrobatics in the skies is what really sets this eagle apart from any other in the world, their short-tails give their flight a slightly erratic appearance as they make sharp almost uncontrolled turns. This has earned them the name Bateleur which translates from French, meaning ‘tumbler’.

They are monogamous and pair for many years, both taking turns in caring for the young. The juveniles, as can be seen from the image below, are all brown and only develop their full set of colours after around 7 years.

These great birds are listed as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN Redlist as of 2020. The biggest threat comes in the form of bait poisoning, which commercial farmers use to kill other predators, mostly the Black-backed Jacked. This makes it very difficult to find this species outside of protected areas.