Cassin's hawk-eagle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cassin's hawk-eagle |
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The Cassin's hawk-eagle (Aquila africana), also called Cassin's eagle, is a smaller type of eagle. It belongs to the Accipitridae family, which includes many birds of prey. This eagle has feathers all the way down its legs, which is why it's sometimes called a "booted eagle."
This bird lives in the thick, old rainforests of western, central, and eastern Africa. It hunts other birds and tree squirrels. The eagle was named after John Cassin, who first described it in 1865. Sadly, its home is being destroyed, so its numbers are going down. However, it is still listed as a Least Concern species by conservation groups.
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What Does It Look Like?
An adult Cassin's hawk-eagle is a small eagle. It has short, rounded wings and a long, rounded tail. Its upper body is dark brown with white spots. The tail is brown with three black stripes and a wide black band near the end.
Its legs are white with black stripes. The underside of its body is usually all white. Sometimes, it has black spots on the sides of its lower chest. This eagle has yellowish-brown eyes, pale yellow skin around its beak (called a cere), and black feet.
Young Eagles Look Different
Young Cassin's hawk-eagles look very different from adults. Their heads are brown or reddish-brown. They have black streaks on their throats and the top of their heads. Their undersides are white. The chest is reddish with hidden black spots. Their belly and sides have many black spots.
The tail of a young eagle is dark gray with a white tip and dark bars. Their dark brown wings have white tips on the secondary feathers. When a young eagle flies, you can see pale feathers under its wings. Adult eagles have dark feathers under their wings and a black band along the back edge. As they grow, young eagles become darker on top and whiter underneath, slowly getting their adult look.
Size of the Eagle
The Cassin's hawk-eagle is quite small for an eagle. It is the smallest member of the Aquila group. These eagles are about 50 to 56 centimeters (20 to 22 inches) long. Their wingspan is about 103 to 113 centimeters (41 to 44 inches). They weigh between 0.9 and 1.2 kilograms (2 to 2.6 pounds). Female eagles are much larger than males.
Where Does It Live?
The Cassin's hawk-eagle lives in West, Central, and a small part of East Africa. You can find it from Sierra Leone in the west to western Uganda in the east. It also lives south through the Congo Basin to northern Angola.
This eagle needs primary rainforest to survive. Primary rainforests are old, untouched forests. Scientists believe it used to live in more places. But as these forests are destroyed, its home shrinks. The eagle prefers these old forests so much that it avoids even slightly disturbed areas. It does not live in new forests or open areas. This explains why it is not found in places between the main forests.
How Does It Live?
Not much is known about the Cassin's hawk-eagle. It is a very shy bird and hard to spot. People usually only see it soaring high above the forest trees. Its home, the primary rainforest, is also very difficult to explore. This makes studying the eagle very hard.
Nesting and Young
Before the 1970s, almost nothing was known about how these eagles raise their young. Since then, some details have been discovered. Both the male and female eagles help build the nest. They use sticks and place the nest high up in a tree, more than 25 meters (82 feet) above the ground. They line the nest with fresh leaves.
The female usually lays 1 or 2 eggs. In Ghana and Gabon, eggs are laid from October to December. In Uganda, they are laid in December. This means they breed once a year. We don't know exactly how long the eggs take to hatch, but it's probably between 40 and 45 days.
After hatching, the young eagle spends time near the nest. It practices jumping and flying from one branch to another in the nest tree. It takes about 70 to 100 days for the young eagle to be able to fly well. From the start of nest building to the young eagle being on its own, it takes about 260 days. This is similar to other booted eagles.
What Does It Eat?
When scientists have looked at what's inside the stomachs of these eagles, they found parts of birds and tree squirrels. It's possible they eat other animals too. Cassin's hawk-eagles fly high above the forest canopy. From there, they can spot their prey before diving down to catch it.
Mimicry
Scientists think the Cassin's hawk-eagle might be part of a special trick called mimicry. In this idea, the Cassin's hawk-eagle is the "model" for another bird, the Congo serpent eagle (Circaetus spectabilis). This means the Congo serpent eagle looks very similar to the Cassin's hawk-eagle.
This is unusual because both birds are predators. They look alike in color, pattern, size, and body shape. However, they eat different things. The Cassin's hawk-eagle eats birds and squirrels. The Congo serpent eagle mainly eats reptiles like snakes.
Why would they look alike? One idea is that the serpent eagle gains an advantage when hunting. Its prey might not run away if they think it's the bird-eating eagle. Another idea is that it helps the serpent eagle avoid being hunted itself. Or it might stop small birds from bothering it (called mobbing). But it's also possible they just look similar by chance because they live in the same place.
Is It Endangered?
The Cassin's hawk-eagle is currently listed as "Least Concern" by BirdLife International and the IUCN. This means it's not considered to be in immediate danger of disappearing. Even though its population is decreasing, its total numbers are still estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 birds. Also, it lives across a very large area. Because of this, its population decline is not yet severe enough to be called "Vulnerable."
However, this eagle relies on primary tropical forests. These forests are being destroyed at different rates across Africa. So, in some areas, the Cassin's hawk-eagle is indeed threatened. More studies are needed to understand its exact numbers and how human activities are affecting its home. Some experts suggest that logging should only remove small parts of the forest to prevent too much damage. But this idea is often hard to follow because it means less money for logging companies.
