Credit
Durban is special because it supports a healthy population of Crowned Eagles (Stephanoaetus coronatus) — one of Africa’s most powerful forest raptors — right in the urban area.
- These massive eagles (with talons stronger than a lion’s claws) nest in the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS) and green belts.
- They hunt monkeys, hyraxes, small antelope, and even occasionally pets (though this is rare).
- Durban has one of the densest urban populations of Crowned Eagles in the world, with dozens of known territories.
Other common raptors in the Durban area include:
- African Fish Eagles
- Black-shouldered Kites
- Jackal Buzzards
- Various snake eagles and harriers
