Black+Eagle

Verreaux’s eagle, more commonly known as the black eagle in southern Africa, is a bird of prey. The name comes from the French naturalist Jules Verreaux who visited southern Africa and brought a specimen back to the French Academy of Sciences.

One unique feature these eagles have is a group of feathers covering their legs; most other eagles have bare legs. They measure an average of 30-38 inches from beak to tail and weigh an average of about 9.2 pounds. Females are slightly larger than males, but other than that, the genders cannot be easily told apart. Adults are black with bright yellow facial areas and a grey bill. Young eagles are brown with white and golden colored patches on their head and face.

Black eagles live in hilly and mountainous areas of southern and eastern Africa. They are very common in West Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East. These birds live in very specific habitats called kopjes and are very rarely found outside of these areas. Kopjes are dry, rocky environments. This can be anything from a few small hills to large mountains and cliffs. The area must also have savanna, thornbush, and/or a sub-desert.

The Cape hyrax and the yellow-spotted rock hyrax make up nearly all of the eagles’ diet. However, their diet can sometimes differ, mainly in South Africa. Their prey is always made up of small mammals. The birds fly low to the ground, sneaking up on their prey for a surprise attack. They also use the natural land borders and camouflage colors as hunting tools. The only major threat to black eagles is human hunting of hyraxes, but they are as of least concern in terms of extinction.

Black eagles usually make nests in trees or in rocky crevices. The nests are an average of two feet deep. Egg lying occurs year round, but the location determines the time of year. Two eggs are usually laid, and the male brings the female food throughout the incubation process which lasts 43-47 days. Within 60 days of birth, the young have developed almost all of their feathers. Eaglets leave the nest between days 95-99. The success rate of eaglets is higher when more hyraxes are present in the area.