Martial Eagle
Polemaetus bellicosus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusPolemaetus (Martial Eagles)
- SpeciesPolemaetus bellicosus (Martial Eagle)
The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa. 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. 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. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Bale Mountains National Park
Augur Buzzard
Buteo augur
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Steppe Eagle
Aquila nipalensis
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
Mountain Buzzard
Buteo oreophilus
Hooded Vulture
Necrosyrtes monachus
Rufous-chested Sparrowhawk
Accipiter rufiventris
Ruppell's griffon
Gyps rueppellii
African Cuckoo-Hawk
Aviceda cuculoides
Verreaux's Eagle
Aquila verreauxii
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Aquila pomarina
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Martial Eagle at Bale Mountains National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there