| Crowned Solitary Eagle | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.) |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Harpyhaliaetus |
| Species: | H. coronatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Harpyhaliaetus coronatus (Vieillot, 1817) |
|
The Crowned Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus coronatus), typically known simply as the Crowned Eagle (leading to potential confusion with the African Stephanoaetus coronatus) is an endangered bird of prey from eastern and central South America. This is a large raptor with a length of 73-79 cm (29-31 in), a wingspan of 170-183 cm (67-72 in) and an average weight of 2.95 kg (6.5 lbs.) Adults are almost entirely gray with a large occipital crest and a short, black-and-white-banded tail. The juvenile is gray-brown on the back and pale with gray-brown streaks on the head and underside.
The Crowned Solitary Eagle lives in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. It tends to live in open woodland and marshland, unlike its closest relative, the Solitary Eagle, which lives only in dense Andean forest. It is often noted for its sluggish movements during the day and is believed to be largely crepuscular in activity. It preys principally on mammals, including armadillos, skunks, weasels, rodents and monkeys. It also hunts reptiles (principally snakes), fish, domestic lambs and occasionally birds, including tinamou and poultry.
Found in large trees, the nest of this species is large platform of sticks about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) across and 30 cm (12 in) deep. One nest was noted to be in at the top of a tree that also contained a communal nest of Monk Parakeets. Eggs were recorded in October and young in May but nothing more is really known about its breeding activities. This species is considered endangered by BirdLife International, mainly because it occurs at very low density and it is very seldomly encountered in the wild. It is largely threatened by habitat destruction, since its habitat has been greatly compromised by the spread of agriculture and cattle ranching. Also, hunting of these bird is believed to occur largely due to fear of livestock predation.