One of the 23 eagles on WAnimals
Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae
Martial Eagle
Polemaetus bellicosus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The martial eagle is an accipitriform bird of the family Accipitridae. It is the largest African eagle and the only member of the genus Polemaetus. Distributed across the savannahs of the centre and south-east of the continent, it has a wingspan of between 188 and 227 cm. It is therefore able to take prey the size of a jackal or a small antelope, though it more usually catches animals such as guineafowl, francolins and small mammals. No subspecies are recognised.
Weight
3 kg – 6.2 kg
Size
78 cm – 96 cm
Lifespan
35 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- GeneralThe most powerful eagle in Africa: it can bring down small antelopes and spot prey 5 km away.
- It detects prey several kilometres away from heights at which it is invisible from the ground: its visual acuity is among the sharpest known in any animal.
- It raises one chick every two years and needs a territory that can exceed a thousand square kilometres, which makes it one of the lowest-density raptors in the world.
- It is blamed for killing goats and lambs, and that persecution is now the leading cause of adult mortality: in South Africa it has disappeared from most of the country outside the reserves.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Open savannah, semi-desert and sparse woodland of sub-Saharan Africa
- Sexual maturity
- 6 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 49 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 egg
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemaetus_bellicosus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Martial Eagle — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Lappet-faced Vulture
Torgos tracheliotos
Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus coronatus
Cape Vulture
Gyps coprotheres
Critically EndangeredWhite-backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
EndangeredEgyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterus
EndangeredAfrican Wild Dog
Lycaon pictus
How to help
The martial eagle is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 6 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about martial eagle.
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