Birds of prey Eagles-7

1. Birds Of Prey
Eagles-7

2. Verreaux's eagle
Verreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii) is a
large African bird of prey. It is also called
the black eagle, especially in Southern
Africa, leading to potential confusion
with the Indian black eagle (Ictinaetus
malayensis), which lives in
Asia.[2] Verreaux's eagle lives in hilly and
mountainous regions
of southern and eastern
Africa (extending marginally into Chad),
and very locally in West Africa,
the Arabian Peninsula and the
southern Middle East

3. It is one of the most specialized species of accipitrid in the
world, with its distribution and life history revolving around
its favorite prey species, the rock hyraxes. When hyrax
populations decline, the species have been shown to
survive with mixed success on other prey, such as
small antelopes, gamebirds, hares, monkeys and other
assorted vertebrates. Despite a high degree of
specialization, Verreaux's eagle has, from a conservation
standpoint, been faring relatively well in historic times.
One population of this species, in the Matobo
Hills of Zimbabwe, is arguably the best studied eagle
population in the world, having been subject to continuous
detailed study since the late 1950s.[2][3] Like all eagles, this
species belongs to the taxonomic
order Accipitriformes (formerly included in Falconiformes)
and the family Accipitridae, which may be referred to
colloquially as accipitrids or raptors.

4. Verreaux's eagle

5. its favorite prey species, the rock hyraxes. When hyrax
populations decline, the species have been shown to
survive with mixed success on other prey, such as
small antelopes, gamebirds, hares, monkeys and other
assorted vertebrates. Despite a high degree of
specialization, Verreaux's eagle has, from a conservation
standpoint, been faring relatively well in historic times.
One population of this species, in the Matobo
Hills of Zimbabwe, is arguably the best studied eagle
population in the world, having been subject to continuous
detailed study since the late 1950s.[2][3] Like all eagles, this
species belongs to the taxonomic
order Accipitriformes (formerly included in Falconiformes)
and the family Accipitridae, which may be referred to
colloquially as accipitrids or raptors.

6. Portrait of Aquila verreauxii

7. Adult Verreaux's eagle in flight in South Africa

8. Verreaux's eagle is a very large eagle. It measures 75 to
96 cm (30 to 38 in) long from the bill to the tip of the tail,
making it the sixth longest eagle in the world.[15] Males can
weigh 3 to 4.2 kg (6.6 to 9.3 lb) and the larger females
weigh 3.1 to 7 kg (6.8 to 15.4 lb). The average weight is
approximately 4.19 kg (9.2 lb), based on the weights of 21
eagles of both sexes. Other reported mean body mass
measurements of Verreaux's eagles were lower however,
with seven unsexed birds averaging 3.32 kg (7.3 lb), while
four unsexed eagles in an additional study averaged
3.72 kg (8.2 lb). In another group of weighed eagles, four
females were found to average 4.6 kg (10 lb), which is
more than a kilogram more than the average male, It is
the seventh or eighth heaviest living eagle in the world. In
average mass and overall weight range, if not linear
measurements, the Verreaux's is very similar in size to its
occasional competitor, the martial eagle, which is regularly
titled the largest of the African eagles.

9. It also rivals the martial and golden eagles as the largest
extant member of the "booted eagle"
clan.[15][16][17][18][19][20] It has a wingspan of 1.81 to 2.3 m
(5 ft 11 in to 7 ft 7 in).[15][21] The wing chord of the male is
56.5 to 59.5 cm (22.2 to 23.4 in) and that of the female is
59 to 64 cm (23 to 25 in). Among other standard
measurements in the Verreaux's eagles, both sexes
measure 27.2 to 36 cm (10.7 to 14.2 in) in tail length and
9.5 to 11 cm (3.7 to 4.3 in) in tarsus length.[8][15] Other than
the female’s slight size advantage, adult males and
females are physically indistinguishable from each
other.[15] Adult Verreaux's eagles are mostly jet-black in
color.[8] The yellow coloration of the cere (the bill is gun-
metal grey), eye-ring and “eye-brows”, all stand out in
contrast to the black plumage.[15] Even more prominent on
flying birds when seen from above is the white on the
back, rump and upper-tail coverts and part of the
scapulars, which forms a V-shaped patch, although this
feature is partially obscured in perched birds.[8] Adults also
have conspicuous white windows on the wing quills at the
carpal joint (at the base of the primaries) when seen flying
both from above and below.[8][15] The bill is stout, the head
is prominent on the relatively long neck and the legs are
fully feathered

10. Juvenile and immature plumages differ markedly from the
plumage of adults. They are overall a dark brown
color.[22] Immatures have a strongly contrasting golden
crown and a rufous or ginger nape and mantle. They have
small white streaks on the forehead and black on their
cheeks. The throat is dark streaked, the lower throat is
pale brown and the upper-chest is brown.[15] The rest of
the underside is brown but for a blackish-blotched rufous
to cream-colored abdomen and lightly marked creamy
thighs and legs. The feathers of the upper-tail and upper-
wing coverts are brown with white streaks in young birds,
while the other tail and wing quills are nearly black. The
wing quills when seen from below in flight show
considerable whitish mottling, with more extensive white
than is typically seen in adult plumages. The immature
has a dark brown iris and yellowish feet.[8] Black feathers
increase from 2 to 5 years of age amongst a scattering of
brown-tipped feathers, though the contrasting creamy
trousers are maintained through the 3rd year. By the 4th
year, they look dark grey-brown with a buff-patch on the
nape and mottling of retained brownish feathers. At the
end of the subadult phase at around 5 years of age, the
plumage is practically indistinguishable from the
adult.[23] Full adult plumage is probably attained in 5 to 6
years

11. The Verreaux's eagle is essentially unmistakable,
especially in adulthood. No other black-colored raptor in
its range approaches this species’ large size, nor
possesses its distinctive patterns of white.[15] The golden
eagle is of similar size or marginally larger size and the
two species are the heaviest living Aquila species and
measure only marginally less than the slightly lighter-
weight Australasian wedge-tailed eagle in total wing and
bill-to-tail length.[3] While the juvenile Verreaux's eagle is
quite different from the adult's, its plumage is no less
distinctive. No other accipitrid shares the mottled brownish
body, blackish wings with large white patches or
contrasting whitish, rufous and golden color around the
head and neck as that of an immature eagle. The flight
profile of Verreaux's eagle is also distinctive, as it is the
only Aquila species other than the golden eagle to soar in
a pronounced dihedral, with the wings held slightly above
the back and primaries upturned at the tip to make a V
shape. In the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia and possibly in
some parts of the Arabian Peninsula

12. and the southwestern edge of the Middle East, the ranges
of the golden and Verreaux's eagles overlap, but the
golden is a mostly brown bird and shares none of the
Verreaux's black plumage. The immature golden eagle
has white patches on its underwing as do Verreaux's but
they are less extensive than those of the latter species.
The wing shape also differs from the golden, as the
Verreaux's eagle has very broad outer secondaries and a
relatively narrow pinch at the base of the primaries,
whereas the tapering of a golden eagle’s wing is more
gradual. The Verreaux's eagle wings have variously been
described as paddle, spoon or leaf shaped.[8][15] Imperial
eagles are another improbable but possible source of
confusion, since they too have white markings on their
wing coverts, but are totally different in flight profile (much
flatter winged) and overall coloration (dark brown)

13. Black-and-white hawk-
eagle
The black-and-white hawk-
eagle (Spizaetus
melanoleucus,
formerly Spizastur
melanoleucus) is a bird of
prey species in
the eagle and hawk family (Ac
cipitridae). It is found
throughout a large part
of tropical America, from
southern Mexico to
northern Argentina

14. Black-and-white hawk-eagle

15. As its name suggest, this is a black and white eagle,
resembling the small typical eagles sometimes separated
in "Hieraaetus". It is some 20–24 in (50–60 cm) long
overall and weighs about 30 oz (850 g). The head, neck
and body are white; a small crest forms a black spot on
top of the head, and the area around the eyes, particularly
towards the bill, is also black. The wings are black, and
the bird has a brownish tail barred black-dark grey and
with white tip. The iris is orange, the feet pale to bright
yellow with black talons. The bill is black with a
yellow cere.[2]
The sexes are alike in color, but the female is larger.
Immature birds have pale edges on the upperwing coverts
and some brownish-grey feathers on the back

16. The black-and-white hawk-eagle is hard to confuse with
any other bird in its range. The black-faced
hawk (Leucopternis melanops) is very similar in overall
coloration, but it is much smaller and has a black tail with
a single bold white bar in the middle. The ornate hawk-
eagle(Spizaetus ornatus), presumably a very close
relative of S. melanoleucus, looks quite similar when
young. However, the wings, back and tail are much lighter
in young S. ornatus, and they do not have the black eye-
ring

17. Little eagle
The little eagle (Hieraaetus
morphnoides) is a very
small eagle native to Australia,
measuring 45–55 cm (17–21.5 inches)
in length and weighing 815 g (1.8 lb) –
roughly the size of a peregrine falcon. It
tends to inhabit
open woodland, grassland and arid
regions, shunning dense forest. It is a
near relative of both
the Palearctic booted eagle and the
massive but now extinct Haast's
eagle of New Zealand

18. Comparative morphology of Haast's eagle with
its closest living relative the little eagle.

19. Barrett, et al. (2003), describes the little eagle as a
medium-sized bird of prey, between 45 and 55 cm in
length. The little eagle is small and stocky with a broad
head. It has fully feathered legs and a square-cut, barred
tail. Wingspan is about 120 cm with males having longer
wings in proportion to their bodies, but being nearly half
the weight of females. It is a powerful bird and during flight
has strong wing beats, glides on flat wings and soars on
slightly raised or flat wings (Marchant and Higgins 1993;
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001; Olsen and Fuentes
2004; Debus 1998).

20. The little eagle occurs in light and dark colour forms and
generally these colours change with age. The most
common is the light form which is dark brown occurring on
the back and wings with black streaks on the head and
neck, and a sandy to pale under body. The dark form of
this eagle is similar except the head and under body is
usually darker brown or rich rufous. The sexes are similar
with females being larger and typically darker. Juveniles
are similar to adults but tend to be more strongly rufous in
colour with less contrast in patterns (Marchant and
Higgins 1993; Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001; Olsen
and Fuentes 2004; Debus 1998).

21. Crested eagle
The crested eagle (Morphnus
guianensis) is a
large Neotropical eagle.
It is the only member of
the genus Morphnus.

22. Perched in a tree eating an emerald tree
boa in Bolivia

23. This species is a large but slender eagle. It measures 71–
89 cm (28–35 in) long and has a wingspan of 138–176 cm
(55–70 in). A small handful of crested eagles have been
weighed, entirely either males or unsexed birds, and have
scaled from 1.3 to 3 kg (2.9 to 6.6 lb). Standard
measurements have indicated females are about 14%
larger on average than males.[

24. The crested eagle has a large head, an effect enhanced
by the often extended feather crest of its name. It has
bare legs, with a sizable tarsus length of 10.3 to 11.2 cm
(4.1 to 4.4 in). The tail is fairly long, measuring 34 to
43 cm (13 to 17 in) in length. The wings are quite short for
the eagle's size but are broad and rounded. Forest-
dwelling raptors often have a relatively small wingspan in
order to enable movement within the dense, twisted forest
environments. The wing chord measures 42.5–48.5 cm
(16.7–19.1 in). The plumage of the crested eagle is
somewhat variable. The head, back and chest of most
adults are light brownish-gray, with a white throat and a
dark spot on the crest and a small dark mask across the
eyes. There are also various dark morphs where the
plumage is sooty-gray or just blackish in some cases. The
distinctive juvenile crested eagle is white on the head and
chest, with a marbled-gray coloration on the back and
wings. They turn to a sandy-gray color in the second year
of life. Dark morph juveniles are similar but are dark
brownish-gray from an early age. In flight, crested eagles
are all pale below except for the grayish coloration on the
chest.

25. This species often overlaps in range with the less
scarce Harpy eagle, which is likely its close relative and is
somewhat similar to appearance. However, the crested
eagle is roughly half that species' bulk and is clearly more
slender. Generally, crested eagles are silent but do make
a call occasionally that consists of a pair of high whistles,
with the second whistle being higher pitched than the first.

26. Long-crested eagle
The long-crested
eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
is an African bird of prey. Like
all eagles, it is in the
family Accipitridae. It is
currently placed in
a monotypic genus Lophaetus

27. The long-crested eagle is a distinctive eagle when
perched due to the long, shaggy crest and all
dark plumage. The adults are blackish-brown with long,
thin feathers growing from the rear of the crown which are
held erect to form a crest. The secondary feathers are
black barred with light grey and with broad black tips,
the primary feathers and median underwing coverts are
white, forming a noticeable white patch on the upper and
lower surfaces of the wing which is visible in flight. The tail
is black, barred with pale grey.[2] The eyes of adults are
bright yellow but can be darker in females, and
the cere and feet are yellow, paling to white in males. The
juveniles are similar to the adults, but the plumage is
lighter in coloor and the crest is not developed and their
eyes are grey. The body length is 53–58 cm (21–23 in)
and the weight of the female is 1,300–1,500 g (46–53 oz),
while the smaller male is 912–1,300 g (32.2–45.9 oz)

28. in Kenya

29. Long-crested Eagle, Mt.Kenya, Kenya showing
wing pattern

30. Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis),
Queen Elizabeth national Park, Uganda

31. Black-and-chestnut
eagle
The black-and-chestnut
eagle (Spizaetus isidori) is
a South American species
of bird of prey in
the Accipitridae family. It is
sometimes called Isidor's
eagle.[2] It is often placed in
the monotypic genus Oroaetu
s

32. This is a fairly large eagle at 63–74 cm (25–29 in) long
with a wingspan of 147–166 cm (58–66 in). As an adult,
this species is glossy black on the head and the back and
a streaky chestnut on the underside, much of the wing
primaries and legs. The juvenile bird is very different,
being whitish over the head and body with a buffy wash
underneath and scaly gray on the back and wings. Nest
building is February and March, laying eggs in April and
May and fledging young by August and September. It
builds a huge stick nest about 2 m (6.6 ft) across and 1 m
(3.3 ft) deep. Clutches include 1 to 2 fledgings. At the nest
area, adults primarily bring squirrels to their young.

33. They are known to prey on woolly
monkeys, porcupines, coatis and other mid-sized arboreal
mammals. Large birds such as guans are also taken.
They frequently have much abraded tails by plunging after
prey through the branches. They overlap in range with
several other large forest eagles, including solitary
eagle and possibly other Spizaetus eagles, but no
interactions have been reported and the black-and-
chestnut eagle is believed to be normally the top avian
predator in its range.

34. Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)