Bird lovers spot West Rand’s famous residents
Verreaux’s eagles usually lay two eggs that take about 45 days to hatch.
NIGEL – Members of the Springs/Nigel WESSA branch (Wildlife and Environment Society of SA) visited the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort on August 19 to view the resident pair of Verreaux’s (black) eagles, known as Makatsa and Mahlori.
There was great excitement when the group saw a juvenile eagle, due to leave the nest shortly, come out to exercise its wings.
The adult birds look after them for only a few months before chasing the chicks out of their territory. According to WESSA, these two are the only Verreaux’s eagles known to settle in an urban area.
They were first sighted in the 1940s. Successive pairs of these long-lived birds have bred on the cliffs over the years. They are monogamous but will take another mate if one dies.
They are one the biggest eagles, with females weighing up to 5.8kg and standing up to 96cm from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail. They have a wingspan of up to 2.3m.
The males are smaller, but both have the distinctive white marking on their backs and are known as the Witkruis arend.
They hunt in pairs, their primary food comprising dassies, monkeys, rabbits and hares, guinea fowl, lizards and birds.
Verreaux’s eagles usually lay two eggs that take about 45 days to hatch. Within four to six days of hatching, the older, stronger chick will kill the weaker chick.
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This is known as Cain and Abel behaviour and ensures the stronger chick has no competition for the food the adults bring. They take up to 100 days to fledge.
Makatsa and Mahlori have been in residence at the botanical gardens since 2019.
A bonus for the group was seeing an African black duck with her brood of five ducklings swimming below the waterfall.
Nature lovers interested in joining the Springs/Nigel WESSA branch can call Dee Johnson on 073 501 6333.
