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  Profile

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  In flight

Birds of Prey

Black Eagle

Ictinaetus malaiensis

• rare
• 40 km/h
• Least Concern

Soars over Asian forest canopy on distinctively bowed, finger-spread wings. Specializes in raiding nests whole.

Population

Not precisely quantified; BirdLife/IUCN assess it as exceeding 10,000 mature individuals (above the Vulnerable threshold); no numeric global count or trend figure is published

Habitat

Forested hills and mountains, especially dense evergreen and montane forest with over 50% canopy cover

Fun fact

The Black Eagle has unusually long, spread primary feathers and long legs adapted for slow, low, tilting flight over the forest canopy while hunting for nests to raid, and along with swallow-tailed kites it is known for carrying an entire nest with nestlings off to a feeding perch.

Range

Tropical and subtropical Asia, from the Himalayan foothills (Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan) across Southeast Asia, southern China (Yunnan, Fujian, Taiwan), Sri Lanka, and the Indonesian Archipelago

Diet

Mammals (including squirrels and bats), birds, eggs and nestlings, often raided directly from nests

Size

0.75 m

Wingspan

1.65 m