Chirping with Kloof Conservancy – The African Crowned Eagle

THE African Crowned Eagle is arguably the most iconic bird in the Upper Highway as there are numerous nests spread across the entire area and they are frequently seen and heard with their unmistakable calls.

Description

They are not the largest of the African eagles but are considered the most powerful, as their legs are immensely strong and the talons are massively thick and wide, enabling the eagle to seize prey of up to 30kg. The adult female is larger than the male. These birds have striking plumage; adult birds have rufous underwing coverts, a heavily mottled breast and belly and the primaries and secondaries are white with heavy black barring. The tail is long and barred and the wings are well-rounded, this shape increasing maneuverability, which is needed in the dense forests where they hunt.

The plumage of the juvenile and immature is strikingly different from the adult; creamy white, with a blonde head, darkly speckled flanks and legs and a heavily barred tail and underwing.

Behaviour

They are highly vocal and have a noisy, undulating display flight. The voice is a series of loud whistles that rise and fall in pitch. The male performs an elaborate rise-and-fall display over the forest canopy both during the breeding season and outside it as a territorial proposition. Displays consist of a series of steep dives and ascents, with a few wing-flaps at the top of each climb and descending circles and figures of eight whilst calling noisily. While awaiting food at the nest, both the female and the young call out in a penetrating, incessant cry.

ALSO READ: Chirping with Kloof Conservancy: The Trumpeter Hornbill

Diet

Crowned Eagles eat mainly mammals, especially hyraxes, vervet monkeys and small antelope such as Blue Duiker. Studies done in the eThekwini area show that Hadeda Ibis also form part of the diet.

Breeding

A large platform-nest is built in the fork of the tallest smooth-barked, forest tree in the area, often at the base of a ravine and is built mainly by the female. The same nest is often used over multiple breeding seasons. One or two eggs are laid between August to October and are incubated for approximately 49 days by the female. If two eggs hatch, the younger dies of starvation after being out-competed for food or directly killed by the older sibling.

At about 110 to 115 days old, the lone nestling typically clambers onto the branches surrounding the nest and takes its first flight. It remains reliant on its parents for food for nine to 11 months before it becomes fully independent.

Distribution

They are territorial with a range between nests of a few kilometres. They lead a sedentary lifestyle and spend most of their adult years in the same area. They are found from Guinea to South Africa.

Habitat

They prefer forest habitats, dense woodland and forested gorges. They have adapted to building nests in alien eucalyptus plantations, most probably as a result of the destruction of indigenous forests.

ALSO READ: Snake identification online course

Threat

Threatened, largely due to hunting by stock farmers and also the destruction of indigenous forest habitats.

Interesting facts

Crowned Eagles are forest hunters and very adept at flying below the forest canopy which is remarkable for such a large bird. They often hunt in pairs where the one distracts the prey, as with monkeys, by calling from above, while the mate makes an unexpected ambush strike from below the forest canopy.

Local information

The density of Crowned Eagles in the eThekwini area is above average and one of the highest in the world. We have been privileged that UKZN’s School of Life Sciences has studies the eagles in our area since 2012, with most of the research undertaken by Dr Shane McPherson.

His research has significantly increased our knowledge on this species. One of the interesting facts is that the eagles in our area breed almost every year whereas, in the rest of Africa, they only breed every second year.

Dr McPherson has also done significant research on the eagle?s potential conflict with humans. The eagles pose no threat to humans, but they do occasionally take small pets such as small dogs or cats. The number of incidents, however, is very low and usually attributed to juvenile eagles that are still learning to hunt and therefore take relatively easy prey.

We do appeal to all residents to adapt to live with wildlife as after all this is one of the factors that makes our area so special!

Visit www.kloofconservancy.org.za or follow the NPO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KloofConservancy

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).

Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.

You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.

Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.