tawny eagle | watercolour

The tawny eagle is a large, broad-winged raptor found across Africa’s drier savannas and semi-arid landscapes. Its sandy to dark brown plumage gives it excellent camouflage in open country, where it spends long periods perched on high trees or rocky outcrops, watching for movement below. Highly adaptable, it feeds on small mammals, reptiles, birds, and carrion, and is well known for its willingness to steal food from other raptors. Tawny eagles typically form stable breeding pairs that hold large territories year-round. They build substantial stick nests high in trees or on cliffs, where they usually raise a single chick. Steady, powerful flyers with a commanding presence, tawny eagles play an important ecological role as both hunters and scavengers across Africa’s wild landscapes.