The bateleur is a medium-sized eagle found across sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southwestern Arabia. It is the only member of its genus, Terathopius, which comes from Greek and translates loosely as "marvel of appearance." The word "bateleur" comes from French and means tightrope walker, or street performer.

When soaring, the bateleur rocks its wings from side to side, almost as if it is constantly trying to regain its balance. From the ground, it looks like a tightrope act playing out across the sky.

The cere (the fleshy covering at the base of the beak), bare facial skin, and feet are all bright red, though they can temporarily fade to pink or pale yellow depending on the bird's mood or activity. When calm, the red is softer. When agitated, the feet flush to a brighter, more vivid red. This eagle's face is essentially a mood indicator.

Adults measure between 54 and 70 centimeters (21 to 28 inches) in length and weigh between 1.8 and 2.9 kilograms (4 to 6.5 pounds). Their wingspan spans about 1.6 to 1.8 meters (5.5 to 6 feet). Like most birds of prey, females are larger than males. In the wild, bateleurs live up to around 27 years. In captivity, they can reach 40 years. Juveniles are dull brown with longer tails and wings, molting shorter feathers yearly. They reach sexual maturity around five to six years, though full adult plumage takes closer to seven to eight years.

It has the shortest tail and narrowest wings, relative to its body size, of any eagle, an adaptation to low-altitude soaring flight. The tail is so short that in adult bateleurs the feet extend below the tail tip in flight, almost giving the impression that the bird has no tail at all.

These eagles spend eight to nine hours per day in the air, sometimes covering more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) in a single day in search of food. That kind of daily range, sustained day after day, makes the bateleur one of the widest-ranging birds on the continent.

They do this by riding thermals, which are columns of warm air that rise from the heated ground. Rather than flapping constantly, which burns energy quickly, the bateleur tilts and glides, using those long wings to stay aloft with minimal effort. The short tail reduces drag and makes the bird more efficient at low-altitude cruising flight, which is how it hunts.

Among scavenging birds in Africa, the bateleur is almost always the first to arrive at a fresh carcass because of its ability to soar at low altitude. While vultures circle high overhead, the bateleur is skimming low across the landscape with a better view of what is happening on the ground. Being first to a carcass matters. It feeds quickly on the tastiest morsels first, including the eyes, before other scavenging birds arrive.

In flight, these eagles can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour.

The bateleur is both a hunter and a scavenger, which makes it highly adaptable. Its diet includes snakes, lizards, small mammals, birds, insects, fish, eggs, and carrion (dead animals). It also eats roadkill, which provides a reliable supplementary food source.

Its legs and feet are covered with thick, coarse skin, which scientists believe is an adaptation to help protect against snake bites. Snakes are a significant part of the diet, and the bateleur is closely related to the snake eagles, a group of raptors known for their ability to take on venomous prey.

The bateleur sometimes engages in piracy, meaning it harasses another bird until that bird drops its catch. The tables turn often, with species like the tawny eagle stealing right back.

During courtship, the male throws himself into a steep dive aimed directly at the female. As he hurtles toward her, she rolls onto her back in midair and thrusts her talons up at him. He swerves away, she rolls back upright, and the whole thing starts again. It can escalate into follow-the-leader dipping and rolling, full 360-degree barrel rolls, and loud wing-clapping loud enough to hear from the ground far below.

Once bonded, they mate for life and raise their young together. The female lays a single egg and incubates it for around two months. After hatching, the chick stays in the nest for roughly three to four months before taking its first flight. Even then, the parents keep bringing food for several more months while the young bird learns to hunt on its own.

That is a long and demanding investment for just one chick per year. It takes young bateleurs five to six years to reach sexual maturity, and closer to seven to eight years to develop full adult plumage, which is unusually slow even by eagle standards, and it is a big part of why declining populations are so hard to recover.

After taking a dip in water, bateleurs stand upright with their wings stretched straight out to the sides and turn toward the sun to dry. This posture has been described as the classic "phoenix pose."

They also practice anting. Bateleurs allow ants to crawl over their feathers, letting the ants collect bits of food, dead skin, and old feathers. When fully covered, the eagle ruffles its feathers, which causes the ants to produce formic acid as a self-defense response. Scientists believe this formic acid kills ticks, fleas, and other parasites. The eagle is essentially using ants as a cleaning crew, tricking them into doing pest control.