The Martial Eagle, is a large eagle found in the open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. This is a very large eagle, with a total length of 78–96 cm, a weight of 3-6.2 kg and a wingspan of 188–260 cm, tail length 27.2–32 cm, tarsal bone 9.7 cm. -13 cm. The Martial Eagle is the largest eagle in Africa and the fifth largest in the world.
The plumage of adults is dark gray-brown on the back, head and upper body, while the lower body is white with black-brown spots. The underwing feathers are brown. Females are usually larger than males. Juveniles are pale, usually white on the head and thorax, with few spots below. The bill is very strong, about 5.5 cm long and the legs are covered with strong hair. They have very good eyesight (3.0-3.6 times that of humans), so they can detect prey from a great distance.
The martial eagle is one of the most powerful raptors in the world and, among African raptors, only the African forest eagle can compare. They are apex predators, at the top of the food chain, and if healthy, they have no natural enemies.
The martial eagle’s preferred prey is usually medium-sized ground-dwelling species such as hares, guinea pigs, mongooses, squirrels, gerbils, rats, mongoose, foxes, baboons, etc. other monkeys, dikdik antelope, humpback pig, young impala and many other young antelope. In addition, the eagle also hunts carnivores such as the African lynx, the African jaguar and the jackal.
After hunting, the eagle does not eat enough and then leaves, but only eats a little bit and keeps coming back to eat until all is gone. Eagles do not waste food, so they will often store and hide their spoils after hunting in a secluded place to avoid the eyes of hyenas and other animals.
In the video, the eagle Martial swoops down to attack the boars, grabbing a young one. However, the eagle did not immediately finish, but let the prey struggle in pain. When the prey was completely dead, the eagle did not eat immediately, but flew up to the sky, perched on a high tree to observe its surroundings. Once it has chosen a convenient food hiding place, the eagle returns to the dead pig, grabs it with its paws to the chosen spot and begins to “eat”.