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Aquila spilogaster (African
hawk-eagle)
[= Hieraaetus spilogaster]
Grootjagarend [Afrikaans]; Ekangakodi (also applied to some
of the other eagles) [Kwangali]; Gondo (generic name for eagle) [Shona];
Ghama (generic term for eagle) [Tsonga]; Ntsu, Ntswi (generic terms for
eagles) [Tswana]; Afrikaanse havikarend [Dutch]; Aigle fascié [French];
Habichtsadler [German]; Águia-dominó [Portuguese]
Life
> Eukaryotes >
Opisthokonta
> Metazoa (animals) >
Bilateria >
Deuterostomia > Chordata >
Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates) > Gnathostomata (jawed
vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class:
Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned
fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial
vertebrates) > Tetrapoda
(four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota >
Reptilia (reptiles) >
Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria >
Dinosauria
(dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) >
Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves
(birds) > Order: Falconiformes
> Family: Accipitridae
> Genus: Aquila
Distribution and habitat
Occupies much of sub-Saharan Africa excluding the lowland
forest of the DRC and West Africa, otherwise occurring from Senegal to Somalia south to
southern Africa. Here it is locally fairly common in northern and central
Namibia (including the Caprivi Strip), Botswana (absent from the arid Kalahari),
Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa. It generally prefers
woodland and savanna, largely absent from high altitudes and dense forest.
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Distribution of African hawk-eagle in southern Africa,
based on statistical smoothing of the records from first SA Bird Atlas
Project (©
Animal Demography unit, University of
Cape Town; smoothing by Birgit Erni and Francesca Little). Colours range
from dark blue (most common) through to yellow (least common).
See here for the latest distribution
from the SABAP2. |
Movements and migrations
Mainly resident, although it make travel great
distances to escape from drought.
Food
It mainly eats birds, hunting from a perch or while
soaring, using its large feet to tackle and kill prey weighing up to about 4 kg.
It often uses a perch overlooking a water hole, waiting for birds coming to
drink. Two hawk-eagles may hunt cooperatively; one bird flushes prey while the
other strikes, before the both feed on the carcass. The following food items have been recorded
in its diet:
- Vertebrates
- birds
- mammals
- reptiles
- plated lizards (Cordylidae)
- monitor lizards (Varanus)
-
snakes
- carrion
Breeding
- Monogamous solitary nester, performing a courtship display in which the
breeding pair soar together while calling to each other.
- The nest (see image below) is built by both sexes, consisting of a a
large platform of sticks and twigs, lined with green leaves. It is typically
placed just below the canopy of a tall tree, especially a Knob thorn (Acacia
nigrescens), about 6-19 metres above ground. It may also use an
electricity pylon, cliff face or the nest of another bird, such as
Martial eagle.
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African hawk-eagle at its nest, Naboomspruit,
South Africa. [photo Warwick Tarboton ©] |
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- Egg-laying season is from April-August, peaking from June-July.
- It lays 1-2 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for about
42-44 days, while the male regularly provides her with food.
- The chicks are brooded closely by the female for the first week while
the males feed them; she continues to stay close to the nest for another
three weeks before joining the male hunting to provide for the young. They
leave the nest at about 73 days old, becoming fully independent roughly
three months later.
Threats
Not threatened globally but Near-threatened in South
Africa, as it is rare in the country partly due to destruction and degradation
of woodland, and persecution for its habit of killing homing pigeons and other
domestic birds.
References
-
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts
- Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker
Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.
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