Martial Eagle Overlooking The Bush

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a short-tailed, crested eagle that soars high, perches conspicuously on tall trees, and hunts for large... more

by Morris Finkelstein

Title

Martial Eagle Overlooking The Bush

Artist

Morris Finkelstein

Medium

Photograph

Description

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a short-tailed, crested eagle that soars high, perches conspicuously on tall trees, and hunts for large birds and medium-sized mammals. It measures about 38 inches in length and about 13 pounds in weight, and has a wingspan of about 8.5 feet. It is the largest eagle in Africa and the 5th heaviest in the world! It is distinquished for its very sensitive eyesight, and can spot prey from great distances. This eagle is sub-Saharan in range and prefers habitats including open woodlands, savannah, and thornbush. The Martial Eagle is an opportunistic predator and may feed on birds, reptiles, and mammals; most of its prey is smaller than 11 pounds in weight. It hunts while circling high and stooping sharply when it spots prey. Because of declining populations as a result of habitat loss, poisoning, pollution, loss of prey, etc, the IUCN Red List 2020 classifies the Martial Eagle as a "Vulnerable" species.

This Martial Eagle perched high in a tree overlooking the bush was photographed at Tarangire National Park, in Tanzania, on 1-10-2016. I used a Nikon D810 camera body and a Nikon 500mm f/4 VR2 lens to capture this image.

I am honored that my photograph was featured in the Fine Art America groups:
African Theme Artwork, 9-26-2016
FAA Portraits - Birds, 10-3-2016
FAA Portrait Gallery, 2-16-2018
Predators Of The World, 8-9-2020
A Birding Group - Wings, 9-26-2020
Wildlife One-A-Day, 9-27-2020
Images That Excite You, 9-27-2020

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Uploaded

January 25th, 2016