African Wildlife & Environment Issue 78

BIRDING

Adansonia stands on semi-arid hillsides. Despite the relative sparseness of this habitat, these sites have a varied and convoluted terrain, with nooks and crannies, valleys, overhangs, and hideaways that allow a Crowned Eagle to exercise its hunting skills. The use of exotic invasive trees (especially Eucalyptus and Pinus spp.) for nesting enables this eagle to survive and breed in degraded and mosaic landscapes including large parks and golf courses. A nest built from scratch may take up to five months to construct; however existing nests are often repaired and re-used during successive

After engaging in the breeding display described above, the pair collaborate in building a massive nest in a fork of a large forest tree, typically from 12 to 45 m above the ground. While the female fetches more nesting material, the male tends to be more active in nest construction. In East Africa, many nests appear to be close to a forest river. Generally, Crowned Eagles seem to be attracted to the taller trees in the forests. In exceptional cases nests have been observed on sheer cliff faces. In southern Africa, the species nests in drier and denuded terrain than expected, such as

44 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 78 (2021)