Polemaetus bellicosus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. A species of the booted eagle subfamily (Aquilinae), it has feathers over its tarsus. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles. It is one of few eagle species known to hunt primarily from a high soar, by stooping on its quarry. This species, an inhabitant of wooded belts of otherwise open savanna, has shown a precipitous decline in the last few centuries due to a variety of factors. The martial eagle is one of the most persecuted bird species in the world. Due to its habit of taking livestock and regionally valuable game, local farmers and game wardens frequently seek to eliminate martial eagles, although the effect of eagles on this prey is almost certainly considerably exaggerated. Currently, the martial eagle is classified with the status of Endangered by the IUCN.
The martial eagle can be found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, wherever food is abundant and the environment favourable. With a total estimated distribution... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dullstroom Bird Of Prey & Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 4 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Deutsche Greifenwarte | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Flauschfarm - Alpakawanderungen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Martial Eagle sighting in Virunga National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 256th most-seen of the 316 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Martial Eagle in Virunga National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to December, the lowest months. Those are among Virunga National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 250 mm in May.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Martial Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
41st of 48
Of the 48 parks where we can rate Martial Eagle sightings, Virunga National Park ranks 41st at under 5%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 30%), Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 30%) and Meru National Park (Kenya, about 30%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Martial Eagle that you can see in Virunga National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are African Fish-Eagle (about 30%), Black Kite (about 20%) and Palmnut Vulture (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Martial Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Virunga National Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
