Bateleur facts for kids

The bateleur (pronounced "bat-uh-LUR"), also known as the bateleur eagle, is a cool, medium-sized eagle that belongs to the Accipitridae family. It's often thought of as a relative of the snake eagles. This amazing bird is the only member of its group, called Terathopius. Some people even think it's the inspiration for the "Zimbabwe Bird", which is a national symbol of Zimbabwe.

Adult bateleurs are mostly black. They have a beautiful chestnut color on their back, rump, and tail. Their wings have gray patches, and their beak area (called the cere) and feet are bright red! Young bateleurs look quite different. They are mostly dull brown with lighter feather edges. All bateleurs have very large heads for their body size, small beaks, big feet, and short legs. Their wings are long and curved, and their tails are super short, especially in adults.

You can find this species in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and a little bit in Arabia. They love open places like savannas with some trees and dry woodlands. Bateleurs are unique birds of prey because they eat almost anything! They eat a lot of carrion (dead animals). But they also hunt many live animals, including small to surprisingly large mammals and reptiles, plus smaller birds.

Bateleurs spend a lot of time flying high in the sky. They often fly with fancy moves, especially when they are excited or upset. They build a strong stick nest in a big tree and lay only one egg. Even though they can be aggressive, bateleurs easily leave their nests if disturbed. This makes their nests very open to predators, including humans. It can take them 7 to 8 years to become fully grown, which is a long time for an eagle! Sadly, the number of bateleurs has been going down. Today, you mostly find them in protected areas. The IUCN (a group that tracks animal populations) says the bateleur is an Endangered species. This is mainly because of things humans do, like habitat destruction, using pesticides, and hunting them.

What's in a Name?

The bateleur is part of a group of birds called Circaetinae, which are often called snake or serpent eagles. Scientists have used genetic studies to confirm this link.

The common name "Bateleur" comes from a French word that means "street performer." This name fits because of the eagle's amazing and acrobatic flight. Its scientific name, Terathopius ecaudatus, also tells us something about it. Teras is Greek for "marvelous," and ops means "face." E is Latin for "without," and caudatus means "tail." So, the name means "marvelous-faced, without a tail"! A French explorer named François Levaillant gave the bird its common name.

How to Spot a Bateleur

A close-up of a bateleur's head.

A young bateleur in a zoo.

The bateleur looks very special with its unique body shape and feathers. It has a thick neck and a very large head. Its beak is small, but it has a big, bright red area around it called a cere. When perched, adult bateleurs look a bit stumpy with their short legs and super short tail. In fact, their tail might be the shortest of all raptors! They sit very upright, making them look tall even though their legs are short.

Their huge wings are the most noticeable part. They have about 25 secondary feathers, which is more than almost any other raptor. Adult bateleurs have chestnut-colored feathers on their back and tail. Most of their body is black. Males have gray shoulders, while females have gray-brown feathers on their wings. About 7% of adults can be a "cream morph," where their chestnut areas are replaced by cream or pale brown.

The bare parts of adult bateleurs, like their cere, face skin, and feet, are a bright red. This color gets even brighter when they are excited! Their eyes are dark brown.

Young bateleurs look very different. They have longer tails than adults and are mostly brown. Their heads are lighter brown, and their eyes are brown. Their cere is a unique greenish-blue, and their feet are whitish. It takes them a long time to get their adult feathers and colors. By 5 to 7 years old, their feathers start to turn black and chestnut. Their shoulders become fully gray by 8 years old, which is when they are likely fully mature.

Adult female bateleurs have more gray on their wings than males.

In flight, the bateleur looks like a large bird with very long, narrow, and slightly curved wings. Their tail is so short that their feet stick out past it, making it look like they have almost no tail at all! This is different from young bateleurs, whose feet don't reach the end of their longer tails. An adult bateleur's wingspan can be almost three times its body length.

Male bateleurs in flight are mostly black with a chestnut back and tail. Their underwings are white with black flight feathers. Females are similar but have more white on their underwings and black tips on their gray secondary feathers. Young bateleurs in flight are mostly brown with lighter feathers on their head and flight feathers.

Size of a Bateleur

The bateleur is a medium-sized eagle and a large raptor. It's usually about 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 inches) long. A full-grown bird is typically around 63.5 cm (25 inches). Their wingspan can be huge, from 168 to 190 cm (5.5 to 6.2 feet)! They weigh between 1.8 to 3 kg (4 to 6.6 pounds).

Female bateleurs are a little bigger than males, which is common for eagles. This size difference is usually about 6%.

What Do They Sound Like?

Bateleurs are usually quiet for most of the year. Their main call is a loud, harsh schaaaa-aw. They make this sound when perched, flying, or trying to steal food from other raptors. They might also make barking calls like kow-aw. Sometimes, they make softer calls when they are near their nest. Young bateleurs make harsh squealing sounds like kyup-kyup keeaw keeaw when they are hungry.

Where Do Bateleurs Live?

A bateleur in the savanna of Bénin.

Bateleurs live in a very large area, mainly across Sub-Saharan Africa. You can find them in countries like Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, and South Africa. They are also rarely seen in parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Sometimes, they wander to places like Spain or Turkey.

Their Home Environment

An adult and young bateleur in their typical savanna home in Botswana.

Bateleurs like open savannas and woodlands. They need some trees for nesting, especially Acacia trees. They usually avoid very thick forests, mountains, or pure deserts. They also don't like large wetlands, but you might see them near watering holes.

They can live from sea level up to about 4,500 meters (14,700 feet), but they usually stay below 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). In some places, like Malawi, they are even seen flying over farms and cities! However, in Mozambique, they tend to avoid areas with many people.

Bateleur Behavior

A young bateleur flying with a bird's foot in its mouth.

Bateleurs are very noticeable because they spend so much time gliding through the air. They often fly low and straight, looking for food. People describe their flight as "one of the most beautiful and spectacular things that flies." They take off with quick, shallow wing beats. Once in the air, they glide at about 50 to 60 km/h (30 to 37 mph). They often rock from side to side with their wings held in a V-shape. This rocking motion is probably why they got their name, "bateleur," which means "balancer" or "tightrope walker."

They can do amazing aerial tricks, like a fast 360-degree sideways roll! They often do these fancy flights when another bateleur is nearby. Bateleurs usually live alone. However, young birds might stay with their parents for a few months. Sometimes, you can see groups of 40-50 or more young bateleurs gathered in places where there's a lot of food, like around a large dead animal or after a bush fire.

In the wild, bateleurs are shy of humans and easily leave their nests if disturbed. But in zoos, they can become very tame.

Moving Around

Bateleurs are generally considered to stay in one place, but they need very large areas to live. However, they are also known to be nomadic, meaning they move around a lot. Sometimes, they even migrate short distances to avoid heavy rains. Young bateleurs often wander far from their nests before returning to their home area. Some young birds have been found as far as 285 km (177 miles) from where they hatched!

Staying Cool or Warm

A bateleur sunbathing by a waterhole.

Bateleurs spend a lot of time keeping their body temperature just right. They often sunbathe to warm up and bathe in water to cool down. After a bath, they might spread their wings wide to dry and sunbathe. They stand upright with their wings out, like a "phoenix" pose, turning to face the sun. This helps them warm the oils in their feathers, which they then spread with their beak to help them fly better.

Sometimes, bateleurs are seen "praying." This is when they let ants crawl over their wings and feathers. The ants collect bits of food and dead skin. When the bateleur ruffles its feathers, the ants get scared and release formic acid. This acid helps kill ticks and fleas on the bird.

What Do Bateleurs Eat?

A bateleur eating a hare.

Bateleurs are not picky eaters; they eat many different things! They usually hunt while flying low, scanning the ground. When they spot something, they spiral down to check it out. They can cover huge areas, sometimes flying 300 to 500 km (186 to 310 miles) in a single day!

Bateleurs are very good at finding carrion (dead animals) and are often the first birds to arrive at large carcasses or roadkills. Young bateleurs seem to eat more carrion than adults. Even though they are good scavengers, bateleurs are also strong hunters. They kill most of their prey on the ground by diving down with their wings partly closed. They can also catch birds in flight.

Sometimes, they steal food from other raptors, a behavior called kleptoparasitism. They might try to take food from vultures or even larger eagles. They can even drive their target to the ground! Bateleurs also hunt insects by walking on the ground, especially after grassfires.

Bateleurs eat a wide variety of prey, with about 160 different species known! This makes them one of the most diverse eaters among African eagles. They seem to prefer mammals, birds, and reptiles, in that order. Studies show that about half of their diet comes from mammals, with a lot of that being carrion. Birds make up about a quarter of their diet, and reptiles about 18%.

The strong, rough foot of an adult bateleur.

When they hunt mammals, they don't ignore small prey like rodents and shrews. But they often prefer larger rodents like Gambian pouched rats or South African springhares. They also hunt various types of hares and small carnivorous mammals like mongooses and genets. Bateleurs are strong enough to kill mammals heavier than themselves, such as scrub hares, springhares, and Kirk's dik-diks. There have even been rare reports of them killing larger animals like black-backed jackals or honey badgers.

A male bateleur with a coqui francolin it caught.

Bateleurs eat many different kinds of birds, around 80 species! They often focus on smaller birds, usually weighing between 80 to 300 grams (2.8 to 10.6 ounces). They especially like pigeons and doves. They also eat gamebirds like guineafowl and francolin. The largest birds they attack are usually around 1.2 to 1.8 kg (2.6 to 4 pounds).

A picture of a bateleur attacking a young jackal.

Bateleurs also eat reptiles, mainly snakes. They can take small, harmless snakes, but like their cousins, they also hunt venomous snakes like puff adders and Egyptian cobras. They can even take large snakes. However, bateleurs are not immune to snake venom, and sometimes, both the eagle and the snake can die in a fight. They also eat monitor lizards and sometimes small tortoises. They are known to carry snakes to their nest, sometimes half-swallowed, for their mate to eat.

They also eat insects, especially when they swarm, like locusts or termites. Very rarely, they might eat amphibians or fish, especially if the fish are stranded.

Sharing the Food

Bateleurs are very adaptable in how they find food, which helps them survive in Africa where there's a lot of competition. They compete with other birds of prey, especially other eagles and vultures. The tawny eagle is very similar to the bateleur in size, hunting style, and diet. Both can hunt live prey, scavenge, and steal food.

At a carcass, larger scavengers like spotted hyenas and vultures are usually dominant. Bateleurs are very good at finding food first, but they are often at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to sharing a large carcass. They might have to wait until bigger animals are done eating. However, with the decline of vultures in Africa, bateleurs and tawny eagles have been seen more often, suggesting they are benefiting from fewer competitors. Surprisingly, bateleurs have sometimes been seen attacking and even dominating much larger birds like white-backed vultures!

Bateleurs don't often prey on other raptors, but it does happen. They have been seen eating black-winged kites, smaller eagles, and even owls. The most impressive kill recorded for a bateleur was an adult Verreaux's eagle owl, a very large and powerful owl! Adult bateleurs are usually considered apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain. However, young bateleur chicks are very vulnerable to predators because their parents often leave the nest to hunt.

Raising a Family

A possible breeding pair, with the female on the left.

Bateleurs live a long time, mature slowly, and don't breed very often. They have a "spectacular" courtship display. The male dives at the female, who rolls over to show him her claws. He might also fly with his legs dangling, making a loud whup-whup-whup sound with his wings. Bateleurs are usually monogamous, meaning they mate for life.

The breeding season varies across Africa. In West Africa, it's usually from September to May. In East Africa and Southern Africa, it's mainly from December to August.

Building a Nest

A bateleur on its nest.

Bateleurs build their nests in large trees, often near water. They usually place the nest high up, about 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) above the ground, in the fork of a main trunk or a large branch. This helps keep the nest shaded. They use different types of trees, but Acacia trees are popular in southern Africa.

The nest is a strong structure made of medium-sized sticks, about 60 cm (2 feet) across and 30 cm (1 foot) deep. They line the nest with green leaves. Building or repairing a nest usually takes 1 to 2 months. Bateleurs often use a new nest in the same area each year, or they might reuse an old one.

Eggs and Young Birds

Bateleurs only lay one egg at a time. Their eggs are quite large for the bird's size, usually chalky white and broadly oval. They are similar in size to the eggs of much larger eagles! The female bateleur usually incubates the egg alone, though the male might help sometimes. The incubation period lasts for 52 to 59 days, averaging about 55 days. This might be the longest incubation period of any African raptor.

When the chick hatches, it's very weak and can't even lift its head. It's covered in creamy down feathers. As it grows, its feathers start to come in, and by 7 weeks, it's mostly feathered. The young bird starts to stand and flap its wings around 5 weeks old. It can usually feed itself by 6 weeks.

Young bateleurs typically fledge (take their first flight) between 90 to 125 days old. After their first flight, they often return to the nest. They become independent quickly, usually within 2 to 4 months. Young bateleurs often wander far from the nest area after leaving.

Parenting Style

When someone approaches the nest, bateleurs might make aggressive barks or dive at the intruder. However, they often fly away and might not return for several hours. They are more likely to abandon their young than almost any other African eagle. The male is usually more protective at the nest, sometimes doing distraction displays or dive-bombing intruders, while the female often flies away.

Bateleur parents are very sensitive to human disturbance. Even small disturbances can cause them to abandon the nest, even with a young chick. This is why their nests have a high rate of failure due to predators. The female takes care of the chick closely at first, but her presence at the nest drops significantly as the chick gets older. Both parents bring food and feed the young, but the male often brings more food than in many other eagle species.

Challenges for Young Bateleurs

It's estimated that bateleurs produce about 0.47 chicks per nest per year. In some areas, they don't breed every year. In southern Africa, they usually breed every year, whether they successfully raise a chick or not. However, many nests fail due to infertile eggs or predators. For example, in Kruger National Park, Verreaux's eagle owls can significantly reduce nesting success.

The population of young bateleurs is often lower than adults. This means fewer young birds are surviving to become adults. The average lifespan for a bateleur is about 12 to 14 years, but some can live as long as 27 years.

Protecting the Bateleur

A bateleur in a "heraldic" pose.

Bateleurs live in a wide area, but their numbers have dropped a lot. In the 1990s, it was thought there were around 180,000 bateleurs. Now, the IUCN estimates there are only 10,000 to 100,000 individuals. The biggest drops have been in Southern Africa, where numbers have fallen by an estimated 75%. They are now considered threatened in countries like Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa. Declines are also happening in Ivory Coast, Sudan, Togo, Niger, and Nigeria.

The decline of bateleurs is almost entirely due to things humans do. These include:

• Habitat destruction: Their homes are being lost because of expanding human settlements and farming.
• Poisoning: This is a major problem. Farmers sometimes use poisons to target animals like jackals, or poachers use them to kill vultures to hide illegal wildlife killings. Bateleurs, being scavengers, often eat these poisoned carcasses, even small pieces.
• Hunting: They are also shot and trapped. Some people trap them for their feathers, which are used in traditional medicine.
• Pesticide use: Pesticides might also be harming bateleur populations.
• Disturbance at nests: Humans disturbing their nests causes breeding success rates to drop.

No large-scale actions are currently underway to protect them, but they are protected in some places like Yemen. Experts suggest educating people about the dangers of poisoned baits and regularly monitoring the bateleur population to help save this amazing eagle.

Bateleur in Culture

The bateleur is important in African cultures and myths, probably because of its striking colors and bold behavior. It's believed that the bateleur is the basis for the "Zimbabwe Bird," which is a famous symbol in Zimbabwean culture and appears on the country's flag.

In a South African myth, people believed that when a bateleur "cries in flight, the rain will fall." In other parts of Southern Africa, the bateleur is known by names like kgwadira and petleke. In some myths, it's seen as an intelligent servant to vultures. In East and Central Africa, it's called gawarakko and nkona. Near Lake Tanganyika, it was even considered a valuable possession for sultans.

Images for kids

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  A Bateleur blinking, showing its inner eyelid.

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  Adult bateleur.

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  A female bateleur sunwarming in a zoo.

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  A young bateleur.

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  A female bateleur in Texas.

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  Two young bateleurs in Botswana.

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  Skeleton of a bateleur eagle (Museum of Osteology).