Verreauxs' Eagle ( Aquila verreauxii, family: Accipitridae)
Birds & Birding in the Kruger National Park South Africa. In Roberts 6 this bird was called Black Eagle
The Verreauxs' Eagle (Latin name Aquila verreauxii) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 131 and you will find a ful description of this bird
on page 531 also a picture of the Verreauxs' Eagle on page 497. The
Verreauxs' Eagle belongsl to the family of birds classified as Accipitridae.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Verreauxs' Eagle was called the Black Eagle
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Verreauxs' Eagle is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Verreauxs' Eagle in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Verreauxs' Eagle : see above distribution map.
The Verreauxs' Eagle.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Verreauxs' Eagle is a large bird much bigger than a Pied Crow. The height of the Verreauxs' Eagle is about 96 cms and its weight is about 3700 gms
You will find that the male Verreauxs' Eagle plumage and colours are different to that of the female Verreauxs' Eagle
- Head is black.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is black.
- Back is white.
- Legs are yellow.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Verreauxs' Eagle feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Reptiles
Other Birds
General scavenger habits
Smaller animals
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Verreauxs' Eagle is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Aquila verreauxii will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Verreauxs' Eagle is to create the nest in branches of a tree or shrub. The bird lays eggs which are white in colour and number between 1 to 2
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Verreauxs' Eagle are: woodlands
You will normally see the Verreauxs' Eagle in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Ukhozi/Untsho
Zulu ... uKhozi
Afrikaans ...Witkruisarend
German ... Felsenadler, Kaffernadler
Portuguese ... guia-preta
French ... Aigle de Verreaux
Dutch ... Zwarte Arend
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 131
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
