Bateleur

Ad male: Head and neck black, erectile cowl with slightly elongated feathers. Mantle, back, rump and tail chestnut. Scapulars and greater upper wing coverts black, lesser and median coverts grey-brown, edged paler brown. Flight feathers blackish, undersides of outer 5 primaries with greyish-white bases. Underwing coverts white. Chin to belly black; undertail coverts chestnut. Bill yellow-orange, with blackish tip, cere and bare facial skin bright pinkish red. Eyes brown. Legs and feet red; leggings black.

Ad female: As male, but all upper wing coverts grey-brown, and upper sides of all flight feathers with pale grey bases, appearing as panel on folded wing. Underwing mainly white, with broad blackish trailing edge.

Cream morph: Mantle, back, rump and tail creamy buff⁸. In Kruger NP, S Africa, 6.5% fully cream-backed and 2% partially creamy (n = 200), higher frequency among males(88%, n = 17) than females³⁵.

Imm: Takes ca 4 moults over 6-7 yr to acquire ad plumage^7,36. First imm plumage (2-3 yr) as juv, but darker brown; tail shorter. At 4-5 yr, sooty brown all over, but female with paler bases to flight feathers. Face yellowish, with red streaks; feet and legs pink, gradually turning red. Pre-ad plumage (5.5-7+ yr) is mosaic of ad and imm feathers. Pale grey-brown upper wing coverts acquired last.

Juv: Head mid-brown; buff feathers margins visible at close range. Body, tail and wings brown, back slightly darker brown. Tail longer than ad, extending beyond toes in flight. Greater underwing coverts slightly paler brown, forming indistinct pale band. Cere, facial skin, legs and feet pale grey-green.

Confusing species: Ad Jackal Buzzard much smaller, with longer tail and shorter, more rounded wings. Brown Snake-Eagle differs from imm and juv in having longer tail, shorter wings and bright yellow (not brown) eyes.

Author:RE Simmons