Introducing the Bateleur: Bird of the Year 2024

Sadly, this bold and beautiful bird is regionally endangered.

John Perlman interviews Nandi Thobela, Empowering People Programme Manager at BirdLife South Africa.

BirdLife South Africa has announced the Bird of the Year 2024 – the Bateleur.

Described as a charismatic and eye-catching bird of prey, the Bateleur is covered in black and white, with vibrant red-orange on the face and legs.

Sadly, this bold and beautiful bird is regionally endangered, with an estimated 50% drop over the past 40 years.

According to BirdLife, this could be the result of habitat transformation resulting in a decrease in prey.

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The aim of the Bird of the Year is to drive awareness and create a spotlight on a particular bird, says Thobela.

The criteria when looking to crown a bird includes:

Whether or not the bird is familiar to a previous Bird of the Year If the bird lends itself to learning materials Its conservation status

To learn about BirdLife's Empowering People Programme, click here.

We celebrate it [Bird of the Year]; we commemorate it.

Nandi Thobela, Empowering People Programme Manager – BirdLife South Africa

Scroll up to listen to the full interview.

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