The black eagle (Aquila verreauxii) is a large, striking bird of prey. Its habitat preferences are fundamental to its existence and hunting strategies. Understanding where these raptors live provides insight into their unique ecological adaptations and reliance on particular environmental features, as they carefully select areas offering suitable nesting sites and abundant prey.
Geographical Distribution
Black eagles are predominantly found across sub-Saharan Africa, with their primary populations concentrated in the continent’s southern and eastern regions. Their range extends notably through countries such as South Africa, particularly in the Cape Province and Drakensberg mountain ranges, and Zimbabwe, which hosts dense populations in areas like the Matobo Hills. The species is also present across East Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia, where they inhabit suitable mountainous terrains.
Beyond Africa, isolated populations exist in the Middle East, including the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen), Israel, and the Sinai Peninsula. Despite their broad distribution, there are significant gaps in their range; for instance, they are largely absent from the Atlas Mountains in North Africa and much of the Sahel region, particularly west of the Aïr Mountains in Niger. In southern Africa, their distribution often forms a U-shaped pattern, with notable scarcities in areas like the Kalahari sands of north-eastern Namibia and Botswana.
Key Habitat Features
Black eagles exhibit a strong association with rugged, rocky terrain, which forms the core of their preferred habitat. They inhabit hilly and mountainous regions characterized by cliffs, rocky outcrops, gorges, and isolated rock formations known as kopjes or inselbergs. These geological features provide inaccessible ledges and crevices for secure nesting and roosting sites. Nests, constructed from sticks and lined with leaves, can become quite substantial over time, with some reaching depths of up to four meters.
Adjacent to these rocky strongholds, black eagles also require open or semi-open areas, such as savannas, thornbush, or sub-deserts, for hunting. Their habitat choice is influenced by the presence of rock hyraxes (dassies), which constitute the vast majority of their diet. While hyraxes are their primary prey, these adaptable predators will also hunt other small mammals, birds, and reptiles if hyrax populations decline.
The eagles utilize thermal updrafts generated by wind currents along mountain cliffs, allowing them to soar for extended periods while conserving energy and scanning for prey. They can be found at varying elevations, reaching up to 4,000 meters above sea level in parts of East Africa.