Tawny Eagle

(Aquila rapax)

See those black feathers flying in the air? This Tawny Eagle is preparing lunch. While visiting the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, I watched the eagle pick up a large chunk of scavenged flesh covered with black feathers (probably from a dead ostrich) and carry it in his talons to a tree branch. There he carefully plucked all the feathers before consuming the meal. You can see by the point the above photo was taken, that the flesh is almost clean like a plucked chicken. Afterwards, the Tawny Eagle consumed the meal (below). Yum!

 

Below is another Tawny that I photographed in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. What an awesome bird!