Black hawk-eagle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black hawk-eagle |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Spizaetus
|
| Species: |
tyrannus
|
| Subspecies | |
|
|
 |
|
The black hawk-eagle (also known as the tyrant hawk-eagle) is a powerful bird of prey. It's a type of eagle found in warm, wet forests. You can find it from central Mexico all the way down to northern Argentina. This includes countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of black hawk-eagles. One is found in southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. The other, slightly smaller type, lives in the rest of the eagle's range. These eagles love humid forests near rivers and different kinds of woodlands. They are not very common, but you can find them in many places. Their closest relative is the ornate hawk-eagle. These two eagles look and act quite similarly.
What Does It Look Like?
The black hawk-eagle is about 58 to 70 centimeters (23–28 inches) long. It weighs around 900 to 1,300 grams (2-2.9 pounds). That's about the weight of a small house cat!
This eagle has mostly black feathers. It has white spots in some areas. Its wings have stripes and are a bit oval-shaped. The tail is long and narrow, and it rarely spreads out. You can tell a black hawk-eagle by the four gray bars on its tail. It also has a white line just above its eye. When it flies, its wings look wide and short. The eagle usually keeps its tail closed while flying.
What Does It Eat?
Even though it's lighter and smaller than some other eagles, the black hawk-eagle is a strong hunter. It often catches prey that is quite large. Its main diet includes big rodents like lowland pacas and squirrels. It also eats opossums and monkeys, such as howler monkeys and marmosets.
Sometimes, it will hunt bats, other birds, and even reptiles. These reptiles can be large lizards, like iguanas, and snakes. In Brazil, people call it "Gavião-pega-macaco." This means "monkey-catching hawk," which tells you a lot about what it likes to eat! The birds it catches can be quite big, including toucans, macaws, and guans.
How Does It Behave?
The black hawk-eagle is a solitary bird. This means it usually lives alone. These eagles only meet each other during fights over territory or when it's time to mate.
When they hunt, they often perch high up. They look around briefly for any prey. If they don't see anything, they fly to another perch. Once they spot prey, they either pounce on it or chase it through the air.
Breeding and Young Eagles
.jpg)
We don't know a lot about how black hawk-eagles breed. One study in Guatemala looked at four nests. These nests were built about 25.5 meters (84 feet) high. They were all on side branches, away from the tree's main trunk.
All known breeding pairs, both in the wild and in zoos, lay only one egg at a time. The egg takes about 44 days to hatch. One study found that these eagles tend to lay more eggs when there is a lot of rain.
