>Harpyhaliaetus solitarius (Montane Solitary Eagle)

Montane Solitary Eagle

Montane Solitary Eagle
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Harpyhaliaetus
Species:	H. solitarius
Binomial name
Harpyhaliaetus solitarius (Tschudi, 1844)

The Montane Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius, is a large Neotropical eagle.

Range and habitat

The Montane Solitary Eagle is native to Mexico and Central and South America. It is found in mountainous or hilly forests, at elevations between 600 m & 2,200 m. The frequent reports from lowlands are usually misidentifications of another species, usually the Common Black Hawk or Great Black Hawk; no reports from lowlands have been confirmed. It is rare in all areas of its range and poorly known. Very little is known about its diet, other than that it appears to have often been predating large snakes and one adult pair was seen hunting deer fawns. The remains of achachalaca were noted in one nest.

Appearance

The adult Montane Solitary Eagle is uniformly dark gray, often appearing black, with white markings on the tail. It is 63–76 cm (25 to 30 inches) long, weighs 3 kg (6.6 lbs), and has a 152–188 cm (60 to 74 inch) wingspan. It appears very similar to the Common Black Hawk and Great Black Hawk, but is much larger and has significantly broader wings, extending nearly to the tip of the tail. The exceptionally broad wings are one of the prime distinguishing characteristics of this species. Its body also has quite a thickset appearance.

The juvenile is mottled brown and tan, with markings around the eyes. It otherwise resembles the adult.

Relationships

Recent studies have shown that the Montane Solitary Eagle is closely related to the black-hawks. Therefore, it may not merit a separate genus.

>Harpyhaliaetus coronatus (Crowned Solitary Eagle)

Crowned Solitary Eagle

Crowned Solitary Eagle
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Harpyhaliaetus
Species:	H. coronatus
Binomial name
Harpyhaliaetus coronatus (Vieillot, 1817)

The Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus), typically known simply as theCrowned Eagle (leading to potential confusion with the African Stephanoaetus coronatus) is an endangered bird of prey from eastern and central South America. This is a large raptor with a length of 73-79 cm (29-31 in), a wingspan of 170-183 cm (67-72 in) and an average weight of 2.95 kg (6.5 lbs.) Adults are almost entirely gray with a large occipital crest and a short, black-and-white-banded tail. The juvenile is gray-brown on the back and pale with gray-brown streaks on the head and underside. pupu

The Crowned Solitary Eagle lives in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. It tends to live in open woodland and marshland, unlike its closest relative, the Solitary Eagle, which lives only in denseAndean forest. It is often noted for its sluggish movements during the day and is believed to be largely crepuscular in activity. It preys principally on mammals, including armadillos, skunks,weasels, rodents and monkeys. It also hunts reptiles (principally snakes), fish, domestic lambs and occasionally birds, including tinamou and poultry.

Found in large trees, the nest of this species is large platform of sticks about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) across and 30 cm (12 in) deep. One nest was noted to be at the top of a tree that also contained a communal nest of Monk Parakeets. Eggs were recorded in October and young in May but nothing more is really known about its breeding activities. This species is considered endangered by BirdLife International, mainly because it occurs at very low density and it is very seldomly encountered in the wild. It is largely threatened by habitat destruction, since its native habitat has been greatly compromised by the spread of agriculture and cattle ranching. Also, hunting of these bird is believed to occur largely due to fear of livestock predation.

>>Genus Harpyhaliaetus

Genus Harpyhaliaetus

Harpyhaliaetus
Harpyhaliaetus coronatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Harpyhaliaetus Lafresnaye, 1842

Harpyhaliaetus is a genus of eagles. Recent studies have shown that the Solitary Eagle is closely related to the black-hawks, in particular the Savanna Hawk (Buteogallus meridionalis) which is smaller and browner but otherwise very similar to "Harpyhaliaetus". Therefore, this genus may be merged into that of the black-hawks.

It contains the following species:

• Crowned Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus coronatus
• Montane Solitary Eagle, Harpyhaliaetus solitarius