There is no such bird of prey in the entire territory of southern Africa, which, in terms of strength and courage, could yield to the martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), belonging to the hawk family. Its habitat is the entire part of the mainland south of the Sahara, especially open areas. The only exception is the forest regions of South Africa.
External description
This is a rather large bird with a wingspan of up to 227 cm and a body length of 80-86 cm. The upper part is covered with dark brown plumage, with an almost black color added in the head area. The belly is almost white, with small, barely noticeable brown spots. A muscular chest, powerful clawed paws, a stern look of gray-brown eyes and a hook-shaped beak immediately betray in him a serious predator that knows no equal among birds. Large female martial eagles can weigh up to 7 kg.
Behavior
The martial eagle is a very cautious and observant bird, therefore it adapts a lonely tree under its dwelling, from which everything that is being done in the area is clearly visible. A pair of birds always keeps together, periodically flying around its territory and not allowing any others to appear nearby.birds of prey. When such an invasion occurs, the fighting qualities of the eagle come in very handy, and any predator is put to flight. The area owned by the eagle family reaches 1000 square meters. meters. Pairs nest at a distance of at least 50 km from each other.
Food
The martial eagle feeds on birds and mammals of small and medium size, such as hyraxes, meerkats, gazelle or impala cubs, young monkeys, etc. It does not refuse reptiles either, sometimes hunting snakes and monitor lizards.
Sometimes domestic animals - dogs, sheep, goats - are sometimes used as food. The martial eagle does not disdain other people's prey, if such an opportunity presents itself. He hunts, as a rule, in flight, hovering high in the sky, looking out for prey, then rapidly attacking it at high speed.
Reproduction
This feathered predator builds its nest in the fork of the tallest tree. If there are no trees in the area, nesting occurs on inaccessible rock ledges. The female is mainly engaged in construction, building a nest of up to 2 meters in diameter, very surprising in terms of strength, even a person can safely accommodate in it. It is performed in a very peculiar way and consists of several layers. First, thick sticks are laid, then there is a layer of dry leaves, branches, moss and other plant elements that are nearby. The construction is completed by the top layer of thin twigs forming a tray.
When the nest is completely ready, the female lays init has 2 white spherical eggs about 8 cm in size. The male provides food for the female in the process of incubation of eggs (for about one and a half months). When the chicks appear, he also supplies the whole family with food, though he does this only until the younger generation grows up a little. Later, the chicks need such a large amount of food that even the two parents are not always able to get it. Therefore, the martial eagle is sometimes able to take food from other predators. After 3 months, the chicks begin to make the first test flights from the parental nest. By that time, whole piles of bones of various animals accumulate around him. Adult plumage in young animals appears only on the 7th month of life.
The martial eagle has virtually no enemies, except for humans. Farmers often hunt it out of fear for their pets. The martial eagle has been declining in numbers lately, and this poses a real threat that the Birds of Prey squad may lose such a magnificent representative altogether.
