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| MEASUREMENTS: The Bateleur is 24 inches long, has a wingspan of 5 1/2 - 6 feet, and weighs 4 - 6 1/2 pounds. Bateleurs have very short tails and long wings. |
 HABITAT: Bateleurs inhabit open woodlands and tree savannas of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. |
| DIET: The Bateleur will eat a variety of reptiles, mammals, and small birds, but the bulk of the Bateleur’s diet is carrion. They hunt using low sweeping flights about 150 feet off the ground, then spiral down onto their prey. |
| REPRODUCTION: Bateleurs build large stick nests in trees or on top of nests built by other birds. The female lays 1 egg that is incubated for 52 - 59 days. The young bird fledges in 3 - 4 months, but may spend up to 4 more months with the parents. Bateleurs develop their adult plumage at about 5 - 6 years of age. |
| NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from either the Greek word teras, meaning a meteor, or teratos, which is a marvel; opos is Greek for appearance; and the Latin word ecaudatus means to lack a tail and refers to the bird’s short tail. The common name comes from the French word bateleur and means acrobat or tightrope-walker. This word appropriately describes the spectacular aerial displays of this bird. It is also known as a Bateleur Eagle. |
INTERESTING FACTS:
- The Bateleur’s feet and facial color can vary from a pale color to brilliant red depending on the mood of the bird.
- Most juvenile eagles have longer tail and wing feathers than their parents. When the young Bateleur is first learning to fly, it needs the longer feathers for added lift and stability. Each year the feathers that grow in are shorter, until the bird reaches maturity, when it has the normal shorter wing and tail feathers of an adult.
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