start of courtship ritual of a pair of Bateleur

            we were able to see the courtship ritual and mating of a pair of Bateleur Eagles in January 2023 in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti . Our guide with over 20 years of experience had never seen this before

IUCN Red List Status: Endangered 

The Bateleur is a mid-sized African eagle with long wings and a very short tail.It lives in partially open savanna country and woodland within Sub-Saharan Africa. The adults have spectacular colors but the juveniles have a quite uniform brown colors. It may take up to 8 years before the birds have the full adult plumage. 
Bateleur is the French word for "tightrope-walker", this aptly describes its distinctive, erratic and unstable manner of flying; the rocking flight motion very much mimics the side-to-side movement of a tight rope walker maintaining his balance. The species also demonstrates some spectacular aerial displays, particularly during courtship.
They prey on mammals (often rodents), birds and reptiles. While looking for food they stay up in the air for up to 8 hours and cover huge distances. Carrion is also a part of their diet, especially for juvenile and immature birds. Many carcasses are often first detected by a Bateleur ( or a Tawny Eagle ) well before the vultures  arrive 

Terathopius ecaudatus
bateleur
Bateleur des savanes
Gaukler
Águila Volatinera
Falco giocoliere
águia-bailarina

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Taken on: January 15, 2023

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