Martial Eagle - Bird to Fear in Southern Africa With a name that sounds like a professional wrestler and a wingspan thats more grand than its name, the martial eagle of Southern Africa is one of the most impressive birds in the world. The Martial Eagle can be found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, wherever food is abundant and the environment favourable. It is never common, but greater population densities do exist in southern Africa, especially in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Generally, these birds are more abundant in protected areas such as Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa, or Etosha National Park in Namibia. Its preferred habitat is open woods and woodland edges, wooded savannah and thornbush habitats. It is not found in dense tropical forests such as the Guinean and Congolian forests, but needs trees to nest in and to use for obstruction while hunting. In southern Africa, they have adapted to more open habitats, such as semi-desert and open savanna with scattered trees, wooded hillocks and, as a recent adaptation, around pylons. They usually seem to prefer desolate or protected areas The heaviest bird in Africa weighs in as heavy as 14 pounds (6.3 kilograms), has a wingspan that has been known to approach 8.5 feet (250 centimeters), and a body length of about 3 feet (around a meter). The martial eagle is very illusive, and is rarely seen perched, but is instead usually seen soaring through the skies in search of other birds to eat, as well as lizards, snakes, and mammals as large as monkeys to feed on. The martial eagle is an apex predator that when healthy is preyed upon by no one; this status has given it a reputation as one of the most powerful birds of prey in the world. In fact, theyve been known to occasionally prey upon Kori Bustards, which are among the heaviest birds in the world. Their hunting habits include attacking prey on the ground from perches and from mid flight, but theyve also been known to intercept prey in mid air! Despite theyre hunting abilities, these eagles still find themselves on the near endangered species list because of a lack of breeding (they require large ranges and often never find mates) and direct hunting from humans who consider them a threat to livestock and domestic pets. Due to this fact, there are various conservation efforts that include educating farmers on the lack of danger these eagles pose, and giving them protected habitat space. With luck the locals will find a way to co-exist with these birds, so as not to deprive future generations of their majesty and amazing abilities.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 04:31:41 +0000
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