| Description |
small for an eagle; very dark brown or black body; white patches at the wing joints; long, broad wings with white underwing coverts spotted with black; broad tail with a white base; grayish white tarsi; fully feathered legs with slender talons; long crest; golden to reddish brown eyes; yellow cere and feet |
| Sex |
they are alike except the female is slightly larger |
| Age |
juveniles have whiter tips to their neck feathers, a less prominent crest, and a more mottled appearance in general; their eyes are a dark olive-brown and their feet and cere a pale ochre-yellow |
| Length |
21-22" |
| Wingspan |
3.7-4.2" |
| Weight |
2.9 lbs. |
| Habitat |
mostly seen in moist savannahs and riverine strips through drier country; cleared forests that are now cultivated; wherever large trees and open country are mixed; prefers inhabited areas to uninhabited bush |
| Status |
not globally threatened |
| Range |
sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to the Cape |
| Behavior |
ests in large, leafy trees; build large stick nests, the deep central cup lined with green leaves; lay 1-2 eggs; dull white with cloudy brown, gray, and lilac marks; only the female incubates; fully feathered at 28 days; fledge at 55 days; parents feed for 2 weeks after it leaves the nest; generally only 1 chick survives; does most of its hunting from a tree or telegraph pole during the early morning and dusk hours |
| Diet |
small mammals caught on the ground; lizards and small snakes; small rodents and occasionally young poultry |
| Vocalization |
a loud clear ringing :keeee-eh: or "keeee-ee-af, kik-kik-kik-kik-keeee"; calls frequently |
| Other Information |
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