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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing martial eagles. The martial eagle is the largest living eagle in Africa. Reaching wingspans of 6.5 to 8.5 feet (200-260cm) and weights of 6.6 to 13.6 pounds (3-6.2kg), these fierce predators are powerful. They’re strong enough to knock an adult human off their feet, though the chance of this happening is pretty slim because martial eagles are quite shy. They’re also endangered and their populations are in decline.

Martial eagles live throughout sub-Saharan Africa though they generally aren’t found in Central Africa. These birds can be found from sea level to nearly two miles (3,200m) in elevation. They have a preference for open spaces with places to perch and nest. These birds can’t maneuver well through trees, so they aren’t often found in dense woodlands, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t strong fliers. While hunting, martial eagles take to the skies and soar so high they often can’t be seen by the naked human eye. Martial eagles have much sharper eyesight than people, so they can handle flying that high while searching for food.

These birds of prey have no natural predators, however, humans persecute them over the erroneous idea that martial eagles prey on livestock. While they may take an opportunistic lamb, martial eagles actually prefer to stay away from human disturbed areas. This is in part why they’re declining in number: they’re losing habitat. Common prey items for martial eagles include hares, guinea fowl, mongooses, hyraxes, and more. The females, who are larger than the males, may take larger prey some of which can include baboons and gazelles! It’s no wonder these birds are sometimes referred to as the “leopard of the air”!

Martial eagles are believed to be monogamous meaning they stick with the same partner throughout their lifetime. These pairs often share a territory over which they hunt and raise chicks. A female martial eagle lays one to two eggs once every two years on average. The eggs are incubated, mostly by the mother, for about 50 days. Martial eagles build large nests, like osprey, and may have multiple nests throughout their range. These are reused as needed. It takes about 100 days for the chick to leave the nest, but it may remain in the parent’s territory for two or more years. Just until their parents chase them off. On average, martial eagles are known to live to about 14 years of age, though one banded individual made it to 25!

Adult martial eagles appear dark on their heads and backs. This color may look brown, grey, and even slightly purple depending on the lighting. Juveniles aren’t as dark. They may have lightly colored or even white heads and more patchy colors along their backs. Both juveniles and adults, however, may have that crest of head feathers which totally reminds us of the harpy eagle! Can you see the resemblance?

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