Wahlberg's Eagle ( Aquila wahlbergi, family: Accipitridae)
The Wahlberg's Eagle (Latin name Aquila wahlbergi) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 135 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 536 also a picture of the Wahlberg's Eagle on page 497. The
Wahlberg's Eagle belongs to the family of birds classified as
Accipitridae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African
Ornithology the Wahlberg's Eagle is also known by these other names:
Crowned Hawk-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 Wahlberg's Eagle is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common summer visitor
In terms of distribution of the Wahlberg's Eagle in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Wahlberg's Eagle : see above distribution map.
The Wahlberg's 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 Wahlberg's Eagle is a largish bird about the same size as a Pied Crow. The height of the Wahlberg's Eagle is about 60 cms and its weight is about 1000 gms. Pictured above is a Wahlberg's Eagle in pale form photographed in the central area of the Kruger.
The male and female Wahlberg's Eagle have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is grey.
- Throat is brown.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are brown.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Wahlberg's Eagle feeds on the ground mainly
Reptiles
Other Birds
Smaller animals
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Wahlberg's Eagle is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Aquila wahlbergi will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Wahlberg's 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
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Wahlberg's Eagle are: woodlands
You will not see Wahlberg's Eagle in flocks. The bird prefers to act singly or in pairs.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Bruinarend
German ... Wahlbergs Adler
Portuguese ... guia de Wahlberg
French ... Aigle de Wahlberg
Dutch ... Wahlberg-Arend Wahlberg'S
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 135
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
