Ayres's hawk-eagle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ayres's hawk-eagle |
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Aquila ayresii (Gurney, JH Sr, 1862) |
The Ayres's hawk-eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii) is also known as Ayres' eagle. It is a medium-sized bird of prey that belongs to the Accipitridae family. This amazing bird lives in the woodlands of Africa. It was named after Thomas Ayres, a famous bird expert from South Africa.
What Does It Look Like?
The adult male Ayres's hawk-eagle has dark, almost black, feathers on its back. These feathers are mixed with white spots. It usually has a white forehead and a white stripe above its eye. Its tail is grey with a wide black tip and a few thinner dark stripes. The feathers under its wings are brown with white marks.
Its belly and chest are white with many dark brown spots. Its legs are covered in white feathers. The eyes are yellow or orange, and its beak is bluish with a black tip. This eagle sometimes has a small crest on its head.
Female Ayres's hawk-eagles are usually darker than males. They also have more spots on their underside. They have less white on their forehead and above their eyes.
There are two main color types, called "phases." The most common one is described above. But some eagles are mostly black with white markings. This is called a "melanistic" phase.
Young Ayres's hawk-eagles are dark brown on their back. Their head is also dark. Their underside is mostly white with some dark brown spots. As they grow, they become a bit darker and browner before getting their adult feathers.
This eagle is a medium-sized raptor, but it's quite a small eagle. It weighs about the same as a peregrine falcon. Its body length is about 44 to 57 cm (17 to 22 in). Its wingspan can be from 106 to 137 cm (3 ft 6 in to 4 ft 6 in). Males weigh around 615 to 714 g (1.356 to 1.574 lb). Females are heavier, weighing from 879 to 1,150 g (1.938 to 2.535 lb). This means females are quite a bit larger than males.
Where Do They Live?
Ayres's hawk-eagles are found in many parts of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Their range stretches from Sierra Leone in the west to Somalia in the east. It goes south to northern Namibia and northeast South Africa.
During the rainy season, these eagles move from dense woodlands to more open areas. These areas still have trees, like savannas. They might even fly into towns in South Africa. There, they hunt doves and feral pigeons.
They prefer mature woodlands, especially in rocky areas. They usually avoid very dry places or areas without trees.
How Do They Live?
Ayres's hawk-eagles are expert bird hunters. They mostly hunt birds and rarely other animals. They fly high in the sky to look for their prey. When they spot a bird, they dive down very fast to catch it in mid-air. This hunting style is similar to a falcon's.
They often eat doves and pigeons. Some of their favorite meals include laughing doves and red-eyed doves. They are very fast and agile, which helps them catch many birds in flight. They usually hunt small birds, weighing from 40 to 200 g (1.4 to 7.1 oz). But they can also catch larger birds like rock pigeons and African grey hornbills. Sometimes, they even catch birds more than twice their own size! This can include white-faced whistling ducks or even other birds of prey.
Ayres's hawk-eagles are monogamous. This means they have only one mate. They build a large nest made of twigs and sticks. They line it with green leaves. The nest is usually hidden in a large tree, high off the ground (from 9 to 32 m (30 to 105 ft)). The nest can be up to 132 cm (52 in) wide.
They lay a single egg between April and September. The female does most of the incubation, which takes about 43 days. The male brings her food. The chick is fed almost every day. It leaves the nest after about 73 days. It becomes fully independent from its parents about three months later.
Conservation Status
The Ayres's hawk-eagle is not a very common bird. However, the IUCN lists it as "Least Concern" (LC). This means it is not currently at high risk of extinction. This is because it lives across a very large area. Even though its numbers are small (estimated 1,000 to 10,000 individuals), they seem to be stable.
The biggest threat to these eagles is the cutting down of woodlands. Sometimes, people also harm them because they hunt domestic pigeons.
