Bateleur Eagle - Shortest tail on the block
An adult Bateleur Eagle poses with wings spread. This behavior is common with this species. They will spread their wings to either dry off, or to warm up during cold winter mornings.
In this photo one can also clearly see the very distinct short tail of this raptor. As described in other photographs of this eagle, this is where the name originates from (Bateleur, in French - Acrobat or Tight-rope walker using balance).
The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family ''Accipitridae'' which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers. It is the only member of the genus ''Terathopius'' and probably the origin of the "Zimbabwe bird", national emblem of Zimbabwe.
The Bateleur eagle is a common resident species of the open savanna country in Sub-Saharan Africa, though it also occurs in south-west Arabia. Total distribution size is estimated at 28,000,000 km2. It.. more
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