Imperious

Imperious!

Martial Eagle (Immature) Polemaetus bellicosus

I have converted my post-processing workflow to Adobe Lightroom and currently am re-editing some old images. In this process I have unearthed some “worthy” images. This shot of an immature Martial Eagle is just such an image.

The Martial Eagle is a large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. It can be found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, wherever food is abundant and the environment favourable. It is never common, but greater population densities do exist in southern Africa, especially in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Generally, these birds are more abundant in protected areas such as Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa, or Etosha National Park in Namibia.

The adult’s plumage consists of dark grey-brown coloration on the upperparts, head and upper chest, with slightly lighter edging to these feathers. The body underparts are white with blackish-brown spotting. The underwing coverts are brown, with pale flight feathers being streaked with black. The female is usually larger and more spotted than the male. The immature is paler above, often whitish on the head and chest, and has less spotted underparts. It reaches adult plumage in its seventh year.

This image was captured on the Chobe River, near Kasane, northern Botswana, Southern Africa.

View this and similar images on my Flickr site — Duncan’s Flickr Page