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Description
Visiting in the summer and photographing a black Bird is not easy, but this one was in the perfect spot!Species: Verreaux’s or Black Eagle (Zwarte arend)
Latin name: Aquila Verreauxii
Originates from hilly and mountainous regions of southern and eastern Africa, and very locally in in West Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and southern Middle East.
Current status: Least Concern
Did you know:
…Though at times also called the Black Eagle, it’s more typically referred to as Verreaux’s Eagle so as not to lead to confusion with the Indian Black Eagle which lives in Asia.
…It is one of the most specializes species of Accipitrid in the world; its distribution and life history revolve around its favorite prey species: the Rock Hyrax.
…The Verreaux’s Eagle is part of a broad group of Raptors called “Booted Eagles”, which are defined by the feature that all included species have, namely, feathering over their tarsus. Most Accipitrids have bare legs.
…Considered very large Eagles, they actually rank as sixth longest Eagle in the world, measuring 75-96 cm (30-38 in) rom bill to the tip of the tail.
…Though most Birds of prey show sexual dimorphism, the female Verreaux’s only has a slight size advantage over the male, and are physically indistinguishable from each other.
…Verreaux’s Eagles are mostly jet-black in color; they have a yellow coloration of the cere (the bill is gun-metal grey), eye-ring and “eye-brows, which all stand out in contrast to the black plumage. More prominent when they’re seen in flight, is the white on the back, rump and upper-tail coverts and part of the scapulars. This forms as V-shaped patch, mostly obscured when perched.
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Beautiful!