Hugh’s Views | Bird Observations Juvenile Bateleur feeding on roadkill

In early March 2023, a juvenile bateleur swoops down onto a puffadder roadkill on a gravel road in the KNP.

The young bateleur assesses weight and size!

Interestingly, the young raptor then decides to dismember the snake by pulling the head off! Note the head-section of the snake clenched in the Bateleur’s talons.

Then, with the head of the snake still clenched in the Bateleur’s right foot (marked), it starts to swallow the puffadder.

A close-up of the snake’s head below the eagle’s right foot (arrow).

The final photograph in the series was taken immediately after the Bateleur had picked up and swallowed the head.

So, the intriguing question is, why did the bateleur pull the head off in the first place? It ended up swallowing the small head section anyway!

Snake-eagles usually swallow snakes whole, and head-first!