AFRICAN HAWK-EAGLE  
Aquila spilogaster

Grootjagarend (Afrikaans)

HABITAT
In KwaZulu-Natal it is found in the far north eastern part of Zululand in woodland in hilly areas. It avoids open country but occurs at forest edges and at isolated forest patches.

TYPE
A medium to large bird which is black above, white heavily streaked with black below. Leg feathers are pure white. The tail is pale, narrowly barred, with a broad black terminal band. It has yellow eyes, a black bill and the cere and legs are greenish yellow. It can be mistaken for Ayres` eagle which is a smaller bird.

BREEDING
They nest from May to July in KwaZulu-Natal, building a large platform in the fork of a large tree. The bowl is lined with green leaves. They usually lay 2 chalky white eggs with rusty red markings.

FOOD
They hunt from a perch or by quartering the ground, taking mainly birds such as francolin and guineafowl and also small mammals and reptiles.

STATUS
An uncommon resident.