Martial eagles tend to be rare and irregular in west Africa but are known to reside in Senegal, The Gambia and northern Guinea-Bissau, southern Mali and the northern portions of Ivory Coast and Ghana. Although never common, greater population densities do exist in southern Africa and in some parts of east Africa.
With a total estimated distribution of about 26,000 km 2 (10,000 sq mi), it has a substantial distribution across Africa, giving it a somewhat broader range than other species there like the crowned eagle ( Stephanoaetus coronatus) and the Verreaux's eagle ( Aquila verreauxii). The martial eagle can be found in most of sub-Saharan Africa, wherever food is abundant and the environment favourable. Currently, the martial eagle is classified with the status of Endangered by the IUCN. Due to its habit of taking livestock and regionally valuable game, local farmers and game wardens frequently seek to eliminate martial eagles, although the effect of eagles on this prey is almost certainly considerably exaggerated. The martial eagle is one of the most persecuted bird species in the world. An inhabitant of wooded belts of otherwise open savanna, this species has shown a precipitous decline in the last few centuries due to a variety of factors. It is one of few eagle species known to hunt primarily from a high soar, by stooping on its quarry. One of the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle, it is a fairly opportunistic predator that varies its prey selection between mammals, birds and reptiles. A species of the booted eagle subfamily ( Aquilinae), it has feathering over its tarsus. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus. The martial eagle ( Polemaetus bellicosus) is a large eagle native to sub-Saharan Africa.
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