Martial Eagle - a vulnerable bird

The martial eagle is the most powerful avian predator on the African savannah, a regal bird that feeds mainly on large birds, small to medium-sized mammals and monitor lizards. It hunts either from a prominent perch or while soaring on its broad, black wings swooping down to seize prey in its poweful talons. Each pair constructs a huge stick nest within the exclusive 100 sq km territory that it occupies. The eagle's egg is laid in mid-winter on a bed of green leaves. The grey and white juvenile only attains independence just before the onset of the next breeding season and then ranges widely for the next seven years until it reaches maturity. The species suffers heavy persecution.