In fairly dense vegetation, we discovered an eagle. Amazingly, it turned out to be a Crowned eagle, one of Africa's two largest eagles. Probably it had had enough to eat and was bloated, so it stayed put when we gradually approached it. I came very close with my lens and even managed to get some close-ups before I withdrew again. This picture shows several characteristics of the Crowned eagle: the watery chest with a hint of brown, the strong beak, the yellow cere, and the gray penetrating eyes. There is no doubt that it observes me! What is not visible in the picture, but which has given it its name is the crest on the back of its head, which is often raised as a 'crown', or the tibial feathers. This imposing eagle is known for killing the biggest animals of any bird of prey in Africa. In fact, the diet consist of 90% of mammals: small antelopes, dolphins and various monkeys. The largest prey recorded is a bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) of nearly 30 kilos. IThe species is distributed in a long belt, diagonally across Africa, from Senegal to Eastern South Africa. It is, however, in many places threatened by man!