- Hieraaetus ayresii
Aquila ayresii
Identification
55 cms
- Brown head
- Black bill
- White and black throat
- White legs
- Brownish-black back
- Yellow eyes
Variation: underside streaking can be very variable, from strongly streaked to almost clean white with dark flanks.
Distribution
Africa south of Sahara:
Western Africa: Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola
Eastern Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Aquila vs. Hieraaetus
Hieraaetus species were formerly placed in a broader defined Aquila by some authorities (e.g. Clements, 2005). However, all authorities now place these species in Hieraaetus.
Habitat
Edge of evergreen forest. Open savanna.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes rabbits, field mice and other rodents, and the eggs of other birds.
Breeding
The nest is built high up in the tree canopy and 1 white egg is laid.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum thread discussing id of Ayres's Hawk-Eagle
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
