Bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) perched. This bird's common name comes from a French word meaning juggler or acrobat. It performs spectacular aerial manoeuvres with its mate during courtship. This diurnal eagle, the only member of the genus Terathopius, is carnivorous, spending most of the day in the air, gliding quickly over the ground in search of birds, reptiles, mammals and large insects. It is classified by the IUCN as near-threatened. The bateleur is reasonably common in conservation areas but scarce elsewhere. It lives in open woodland, scrub and savanna in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Photographed in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, in South Africa and Botswana.