2024 Bird of the Year  Bateleur

BirdLife South Africa has announced the Bateleur as the Bird of the Year for 2024. Also known as the Berghaan (Afrikaans), ingqungqulu (isiZulu), and ingqanga (isiXhosa), this magnificent raptor is famous for its striking appearance and remarkable aerial behaviour.

The Bateleur is a truly charismatic and eye-catching bird of prey, with its distinctive plumage – a combination of black, white, and vibrant red-orange on the face and legs.  Its common English name, Bateleur, was coined by famed French explorer, writer and ornithologist François Levaillant, and is said to be French for a “tumbler” or “tightrope walker”, which aptly describes this bird’s graceful, aerial acrobatics. Its isiZulu name, ingqungqulu, is onomatopoeic, referring to the sounds of battle drums due to the species relation to war in the Zulu culture. Also very fittingly, its scientific name, Terathopius ecaudatus, is a celebration of its marvellous face, and its short tail.

This species is equally at home in the bushveld of the Kruger National Park and the arid Kalahari.  It is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females can be differentiated based on their plumage or appearance.  This is most easily done when they are in flight by looking at their underwing pattern.  Males have all-black secondary and inner primary feathers, while females have broad white bases to these feathers (referring to the header image at the top of this page, the male is above the female).

As bold, majestic and strong an image as these birds portray, unfortunately they are classified as regionally Endangered, with an estimated population reduction of over 50% over the past three generations (40 years), leaving a regional population size of less than 1000 mature individuals.

It is suspected that this is due to habitat transformation, which has led to a decrease in the available prey base for Bateleurs, especially outside protected areas.  Its tendency to scavenge also puts this species at particular risk from indiscriminate poisoning, especially by small-stock farmers. Illegal harvesting of this species for use in the muti trade is another recent trend, which needs to be further investigated.

https://www.birdlife.org.za/bird-of-the-year-2024/ / Photo by Riël Tredoux.