The eagle is a national bird in Nigeria portraying strength and of course Nigerians are strong and resilient in the face of challenges, so are the eagles.
However, like Nigerians exist in different tribes, so are the eagles in different species. Four among the over 60 species of these birds of prey are prominent in Nigeria. They include:
African fish eagle
The African fish eagle (Icthyophaga vocifer) or the African sea eagle is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria.
This specie is comfortable around large bodies of open water where there is an abundant food supply. It may resemble it’s cousin, the bald eagle in appearance; though related, the two species occur on different continents, with the bald eagle being resident in North America.
It maintains it’s big frame by reason of its appetite and must not be far from areas of abundance supply of food.
Martial eagle
Like it’s name suggests, the Martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a warrior, athletic and opportunistic in nature.
The large eagle is also native to Nigeria and the only member of the genus Polemaetus. A species of the booted eagle subfamily (Aquilinae), it has feathering over its tarsus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle. This predator varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles. It is one of few eagle species known to hunt primarily from a high soar. It’s specifically built to live in the wooded belts of open savanna and has a consistent population decline due to many factors. The martial eagle is one of the most persecuted bird species in the world, no thank to it’s aggressive and encroaching nature. Local farmers and game wardens frequently seek to eliminate the opportunistic martial eagle. For this reason, this specie is classified with the status of Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Bateleur eagle
A novice bird watcher may not immediately classify this bird among the eagle family. This is because it’s a bit different in phisique.
The bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) is a medium-sized eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is often considered a relative of the snake eagles and, like them, it is classified within the subfamily Circaetinae.
It is the only member of the genus Terathopius and may be the origin of the “Zimbabwe Bird”, the national emblem of Zimbabwe.
Adult bateleurs are generally black in colour with a chestnut colour on the mantle as well as also on the rump and tail. Adults also have gray patches about the leading edges of the wings (extending to the secondaries in females) with bright red on their cere and their feet. Adults also show white greater coverts, contrasting with black remiges in males, gray patches on the underwing primaries and black wingtips. The juvenile bateleur is quite different, being largely drab brown with a bit of paler feather scaling. All bateleurs have extremely large heads for their size, rather small bills, large feet, relatively short legs, long, bow-like wings and uniquely short tails, which are much smaller still on adults compared to juvenile birds.
Crowned eagle
The crowned eagle, also known as the African crowned eagle or the crowned hawk-eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus), is a large bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; from The Gambia to Mozambique, this bird of prey spreads it’s influence across the Southern Africa where it’s more prominent in the eastern areas.
Its preferred habitats are principally the woodlands and various forests where it’s food is in abundance.
The crowned eagle is the only extant member of the genus Stephanoaetus. A second species, the Malagasy crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus mahery) became extinct after humans settled on Madagascar.
Pictures: The Internet
