Martial Eagle Overlooking Wildebeest Grazing on the Grasslands

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 Wildebeest Grazing on the Grasslands

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 distinguished 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, this species is considered 'near threatened'.

Wildebeest (Connochaetes bellicosus) are a species of large antelope, in the hundreds of thousands, that are part of the 800 km circular, seasonal migration from Serengeti to the South, and back. The females synchronize their calving to a 3 week window during the rainy season in February and March, with their calves on their feet within minutes of birth

The powerful Martial Eagle in the foreground was perched on a tree overlooking grasslands occupied by thousands of migrating Wildebeest in Serengeti National Park on 1-16-2016. I used a Nikon D810 camera body and a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 vr2 lens to capture this image.

I am honored that my photograph was featured in the Fine Art America groups:
African Theme Artwork, 10-11-2016
FAA Portraits - Birds, 2-24-2017

Uploaded

January 25th, 2016