  The largest
eagle in Africa, this bird spends much of its time on the wing, and is usually seen
soaring about hill slopes, often at a very great height rendering it almost invisible to
the naked eye.
Name: Polemaetus bellicosus
Size: 19-24cm, 100-120g
Habitat: Uninhabited stretches of thornbush and savannah, open plains and
semi-desert country.
Distribution: Africa
south of the Sahara, from Senegal to Somalia and south to the Cape.
Diet: In some areas birds form an important part of the diet, including
guineafowl, francolins, bustards, and poultry. In other areas the diet is largely
mammalian, especially hyrax and small antelopes. Animals as large as an Impala calf are
taken, and some monkeys, also occasionally young domestic goats, and lambs. Carnivores
like mongoose are sometimes taken, even occasionally Serval Cat and Jackal; also a few
snakes and large lizards. It will evidently eat whatever is available, with a preference
for game-birds, hyrax, and poultry.
Reproduction: Nests are built invariably in trees, at any height from 20 to 80
feet above ground, but often in the largest tree in the area, growing on a steep hillside
or in a gorge, where the bird has a clear sweep off the nest. Pairs have one or two nests,
which are used in alternate years if more than one, but for successive breeding attempts
if only one. They may be used by a succession of birds for many years.
The breeding season begins in various parts of the range in a wet season, the early dry
season, or late in the dry season, and some part of the cycle must extend through rainy
periods. Incubation is normally by the female, but a male has been known to sit. The
female leaves the nest to feed and is not usually fed by the male at the nest. The
incubation period is about 45 days.
The young is very weak and feeble when first hatched, but becomes more active after about
twenty days. At 32 days feathers show through the down, and completely cover the bird at
70 days. The young is fed by its parent until it is about 60 days old, and well feathered,
when it starts to tear up its prey itself. The young bird, after making its first flight
(at about 100 days), may return to roost in the nest for some days, and thereafter moves
away from it. It remains loosely attached to the nest site for some time, and may be seen
not far from it for up to six months. |
