- Life expectancy
Identification
A very large eagle with long, broad wings and a dark head and breast. The pale underparts of the adult bear dark spots. Young Martial Eagles are much paler on the head and breast and hardly spotted yet.
Colours
Adult
Dark brown head, neck and upper breast, topped by a short crest. The white belly and feathered legs are spotted brown; the iris is yellow.
Behaviour
It uses large territories and spends a lot of time soaring. Pairs can hold their area for years. During courtship the partners circle together or call to each other from perches.
Breeding & rearing
A large stick nest is usually in a tall tree, locally also on a cliff or a power pylon. The demanding rearing ties up both parents: at first the male in particular hunts, while the female tends the young bird.
