Frederick D. Welch—Bateleur Eagles



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BATELEUR EAGLES


By Frederick D. Welch


There were four specimens of this African species, Helotarsus

ecaudatus, living in the London Gardens in July, 1920, and as they showed

three distinct differences in coloration, although the birds were about

the same length, 23 inches, it seemed a good opportunity to point

out the differences at different ages and also to correct a misleading

statement in the Royal Natural History. Two of the Eagles which

arrived in June, 1919, had blackish-brown beaks, skin between that

part and the brown iris was brown ; in plumage they were darkish-

brown ; thd legs being tinged with pink, and they remained so till

August, 1921 (since when I have not visited the Gardens and any future

change is therefore unknown to me).


These two were, it seemed to me, undoubtedly much younger than

the other two, which arrived in 1906 and 1909, and were very different,

being bright red between brown iris and beak (latter black in tip half,

yellowish at base), with legs also red.


It is here that the statement in the Royal Natural History is mis¬

leading, because in vol. ix, p. 212, it states that the facial colour of

some Bateleurs living then was “ solely due to effects of captivity ”,

as they were paler than the “ coral red ” referred to a few lines before ;

and the words seem to me to therefore imply that a captive bird cannot

be red on face. But such is an obviously erroneous idea, as proved by

the two Bateleurs referred to by me, and which were still in perfect

health as late as August, 1921, when last seen by me. As the section

is not signed by any special writer it is uncertain who held that view

(except that as Dr. Bowdler Sharpe is referred to by name it seems

certainly not he who wrote it) ; but it seems to me as probable that the

birds there referred to had not then reached their fully adult colour,

because I have seen several red-faced Bateleurs in captivity from about

1898 (three years after dating of that book) and onwards (in addition

to those two referred to). These were alike in plumage except the

wings, being chestnut maroon on back, rump, and short tail, and black

elsewhere. In the coloration of long wing feathers these two older

birds differed from each other considerably up to August, 1921, they



