Verreaux's Eagle

Verreaux's Eagle, also known as the Black Eagle, is a large, striking raptor of rugged mountainous country. Its plumage is almost entirely glossy black, relieved by a distinctive white "V"-shaped patch across the lower back and rump, and pale, translucent "windows" at the base of the primary flight feathers, both conspicuous in flight.

It has long, broad wings that narrow markedly at the body, giving a pinched, hourglass silhouette in flight, along with a long tail typical of true (booted) eagles.

Key field marks

• All-black plumage with a bold white V-shaped patch on the back
• Pale "windows" at the base of the primaries, visible from below in flight
• Long wings narrowly pinched at the body, giving a distinctive hourglass shape in soaring flight

Similar species

No other eagle in its African range combines all-black plumage with the white back patch, making adults fairly straightforward to identify. Immatures are mottled brown and rufous, more easily confused with other large brown eagles, but their strong association with rocky cliffs and hyrax colonies is a useful clue.

Range

Occurs from South Africa north through East Africa into parts of the Sahel and the Arabian Peninsula, wherever suitable rocky terrain and hyrax populations coincide.

Habitat

Tied closely to mountains, cliffs, gorges, and rocky escarpments, particularly areas supporting colonies of rock hyraxes, its primary prey.

Movement

Sedentary, with pairs holding permanent territories on cliffs across many years.

Behavior

Verreaux's Eagles often hunt cooperatively as a pair: one bird flies low along a rock face to flush hyraxes into the open while its mate strikes from another angle, a strategy that reflects their near-total dietary reliance on this single prey species.

Voice

Gives loud, far-carrying barking and yelping calls, particularly during territorial and courtship displays.

Nesting

Pairs perform dramatic aerial courtship displays involving steep dives and talon-grappling. They nest on cliff ledges, usually laying two eggs, but the older chick typically kills the younger (a behavior known as Cainism), so almost always only a single chick fledges.