Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus).
The Martial Eagle is a very large eagle, with a length of 78–96 cm (31–38 in), weight of 3–6.2 kg (6.6–14 lb.) and a wingspan of 188–260 cm (6 ft. 2 in–8 ft. 6 in).
The adult’s plumage consists of dark grey-brown coloration on the upper parts, head and upper chest, with slightly lighter edging to these feathers. The body under parts are white with blackish-brown spotting. The under wing coverts are brown, with pale flight feathers being streaked with black. The female is usually larger and more spotted than the male.
Martial Eagles have been thought to have no distinctive display flight, but they do engage in a subtle one, with the males flying mildly around in circles. Rarely, the female joins him and the pair grasp talons with each other.
The Martial Eagle is an apex predator, being at the top of the avian food chain in its environment and, if in healthy condition, having no natural predators. It hunts mostly in flight, circling high above its territory, and stooping sharply to catch its prey by surprise. Prey may be spotted from 3 to 5 kilometres away. The eagles have been noted for their extremely keen eyesight (3.0–3.6 times human acuity). Due to this power, they can spot potential prey from a very great distance.
Their prey is of the following; game birds and Egyptian Geese. Reptiles, especially lizards like monitor lizards and snakes, which include Cape cobras, boom slangs, puff adders, green mambas, young black mambas and African Rock Pythons. They also capture mammal prey, hares, hyraxes, mongooses, squirrels, springhares, rats, genets, foxes, baboons, other monkeys, young warthogs, dikdiks, young impala and various other young or small antelope.
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saw this on fb – stunning shots. & the bird? like all his kind – magnificent!
Thanks they are my attraction to bird photography and what I search for the most… where I have now been I got lots of photos of the raptors…
great shots, that is one tough bird! baboons, really? they are so nasty, this is one nasty bird!
This is the bird on the top of the food chain…
Awesome!!!!
Thanks..
I love eagles – what an amazing set. It’s hard to grasp how large they are from images.
How true… they always look so smal actually till take off and then one realises just how big they are… and that is usually when I close my mouth and wonder why I never took the shot and missed a good picture once again…
Ha – I live in an area where there are bald eagles and have never gotten a shot of one – I’m too busy gawking when I see one.
Right now I am in love with Mother Nature and with all the beautiful creatures she created. This big guy is regal and imposing. I imagine him saying, “What do you think you’re looking at, buddy?”
He is probably looking down his nose and saying… “I’m so much stronger than you..” I have loved Mother Nature all my life. and it is only now as I get on in years, realise just how privileged I’ve been, to have witnessed what I have, to have photographed the animals and birds that I have… to have lived my life most of the time within the natural habitats that I have… and how I wished I could have had the camera I have today to have taken photos of what I have witness years ago… yet I see the destruction man is making of nature, and the consequential effect it is having on the birds and animals I love… 50 years from now (I’ll be dead) I don’t want to know what we’ll have left…
An amazing bird. It must be something to see in flight. It’s huge.
Most of the eagles fly so high one doesn’t get to really appreciate their size… till you get to see one up close in a tree and he opens the wings to fly off.. a few hard flaps and then all seems so easy for them and so majestic and it’s so quick and they’re gone… their flight just seems so easy.. when they catch the current they look like jets floating on the wind…
Eagles have such a stately presence about themselves. We have an American bald eagle on the lake where our summer cottage in Maine is. Unfortunately, I have never had my camera when it has flown over.
They look so similar to our fish eagle… but I do love the eagles and other predator birds.. the all have that something about them.. power and aggression is always to be seen in their look and demeanor… thank you..
I think you are right…their demeanor seems to say don’t fool with me…I’ve got the power.
That’s a very regal looking eagle. Amazing how he can turn his head right around. What a neat trick. I could have done with having that ability when I was teaching. 😀 Great photos again, bdt.
I think the teachers that taught me wished the same thing…
I bet they did. 😀
Love the speckled breast! What an amazing, amazing predator:) Very scary..
Thank you…
This guy … wants respect!!! Stunning bird and very majestic!
Thanks viveka… you’re right on that… and I think he gets it too…
So beautiful! I love the freckles! You must work hard to be in the right place at the right time!!! 🙂
We do our best… but there is a lot of luck involved…
and enjoyment!!!
Great job of catching the pose of looking the other way … thus a great view of a wonderful adaptation.
Thank you Frank…
Bellissimo il piumaggio del petto, così bianco con le macchioline nere. Splendide foto come sempre 🙂
Ciao, Pat
Thank you Pat.. I just wish I could have got closer…
Surely there will be another occasion 🙂
You are quite the bird watcher…. Are you a birder??? Rare bird alert chaser??
I have had an interest in birds since young when I collected birds eggs, now I have the ambition to photo as many of our 900 odd species in SA… I’m just over the 300 so I’ve got a long way to go… I started to blog so that the kids could see how Dad was doing .. now it is just so much more that others are interested…
OH WOW no I think birding is amazing. I couldn’t have a Big Year though. I think the traveling would kill me! You need to get to the amazon! Galapagos… WOW you are going to have to go places to get 900. WOW How exciting!
I hope that you will accept Very Inspiring Blogger Award – Your photos and reflections are for me a true inspiration! Look at http://andrzejphoto.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/very-inspiring-blogger-award/
I am honoured that you wish to award me this award… I will go and look at the link… and I thank you for the nomination… I decided when I was awarded my first one, not to accept but to store them for my own pleasure rather than paste them on my blog (I don’t know how to do that)… but I do appreciate the gesture and will save it in my file…thank you again…
Do you think I can get some of these beauties to take away my soon-to-be-new-neighbours? They looks plump and juicy to me…so the Boss must think they’ll be to die for! Yes? No?
The problem is he is so aggressive he might just bite the hand that feeds him…
Ooooh new falconry gloves, yay!
I don’t why I typed 4 LOL I have 3 favourite animals 😉
Well two of the 4 could be eagles…
Thanks for covering for me – I’ve got your back too!
I love eagles! They are one of my 4 favourites, the other two being horses and wolves. What’s a dikdik? Would love to see a picture of one of those!
A dikdik is a small antelope… I hope to post on them soon….
We don’t get to see these birds in the city, so thanks for the description, bull.
Yes these you will never see in the city… unless they take to cats and dogs…
Very beautiful, and an informative read!
Thank you for the look in and comment..
Really quite a majestic bird. I love watching Eagles.
Me too… their shear power and speed always fascinates me… and having collected birds eggs as a youngster got to know that power first hand whilst trying to steal an egg…
I just got home from a horribly busy/stressful day and your post is like balm!
Thank you Julie… now I’m happy…
Me too. My ma has broken her hip so I just wondered if you would like to adopt her before I murder her!
Send her over… I’ll supply an address… and when she’s better I’ll send her back…
It’s very freaky how they can turn their heads backward! We have Sea Eagles here (I don’t know the ‘real’ name for them). I absolutely love watching them while I’m on the boat. If they start circling I usually up-anchor and head over in their direction because I know they can see where all the fish are (and this tactic always guarantees me a catch!) 😀
The fish eagles here are much the same as a good indicator.. I wish I could turn my head like them..
So beautiful…. I loved them all… You are amazing photographer. Thank you, Blessing and Happiness, love, nia
Thanks Nia…