Martial eagle

For the episode of The Americans, see Martial Eagle (The Americans).

Martial eagle
An adult in the Matetsi Safari Area of western Zimbabwe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Polemaetus
Heine, 1890
Species:
P. bellicosus
Binomial name
Polemaetus bellicosus
(Daudin, 1800)
Approximate range in green

The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa.[2] It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. A species of the booted eagle subfamily (Aquilinae), it has feathers over its tarsus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles. It is one of few eagle species known to hunt primarily from a high soar, by stooping on its quarry.[3] This species, an inhabitant of wooded belts of otherwise open savanna, has shown a precipitous decline in the last few centuries due to a variety of factors. The martial eagle is one of the most persecuted bird species in the world. Due to its habit of taking livestock and regionally valuable game, local farmers and game wardens frequently seek to eliminate martial eagles, although the effect of eagles on this prey is almost certainly considerably exaggerated. Currently, the martial eagle is classified with the status of Endangered by the IUCN.[1][4][5]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Polemaetus bellicosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22696116A172287822. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22696116A172287822.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Ferguson-Lees & Christie, Raptors of the World. Houghton Mifflin Company (2001), ISBN 978-0-618-12762-7.
  3. ^ Steyn, P. (1983). Birds of prey of southern Africa: Their identification and life histories. Croom Helm, Beckenham (UK). 1983.
  4. ^ Simmons, R.E. (2005). Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus. Roberts’ Birds of southern Africa, 7th edition. Hockey, PAR, Dean, WRJ and Ryan, PG (eds), 538-539.
  5. ^ Cloete, D. (2013). Investigating the decline of the Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) in South Africa. University of Cape Town.