Discussing bird species: is it really a martial eagle?

By: Limpopo-Lipadi | Date: April 30, 2024 | Reserve

Once you get the hang of it, it is so much fun on game drive to debate, discuss and determine the species you encounter, especially when it concerns birds. After all, it’s quite hard to mistake a lion for an elephant, but with birds it can get tricky. And especially with some birds of prey. Heated debates sometimes take place in our game viewers whether the spotted bird is a juvenile something, a female other or just a rarely seen guest.

In this instance these co-owners were slowly making their way back to the lodge after their morning coffee when they spotted a large bird high up in the tree. What was it? A black-chested eagle? A juvenile African hawk eagle? Or… could it be a martial eagle? Lucky, the guide, said that he had only spotted a martial eagle once or twice in all his years in the Reserve, so could this be real? After close examination – luckily the eagle was staying put – they decided that it definitely was a martial eagle, the largest eagle in Africa.

With their wingspan of over 2 metres and their weight of more than 6 kilos these eagles are magnificent ‘monsters’, apex predators in the air. They are not picky where it comes to food, and they hunt for anything from monitor lizards to small antelopes and rock hyraxes (dassies). As this bird of prey is rapidly declining in numbers due to amongst others climate change, habitat loss and other causes, we hope that the martial eagle will find a safe haven in Limpopo-Lipadi and be a regular feature on our game drives.

If you would like to be a part of our conservation efforts, do call on us. For discreet information on share sales, contact generalmanager@limpopo-lipadi.org. To book a safari, request our rates via reservations@limpopo-lipadi.org or via WhatsApp: (+267) 76770191.
Photos: Cornelie de Jong
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