Bird Guide

African Hawk-Eagle vs Lappet-faced Vulture

African Hawk-Eagle (Aquila spilogaster)

African Hawk-Eagle

Aquila spilogaster

Large1.5 kgGrassland

The African hawk-eagle has a somewhat small head but one that protrudes quite well due its quite long neck and relatively prominent beak. Furthermore, the species possesses a longish tail, with long and somewhat slender feathered legs and has large, robust feet. Although African hawk-eagles occasionally take to perching in the open, they usually are somewhat obscured for much of the day within the cover of foliage and often perch relatively low down in tall trees. The wing tips tend to fall a bit short of the tail tip. Voice: The African hawk-eagle is generally silent outside breeding season. Its main call is melodious fluting klooee. The call is perhaps most often recorded in contact between pair members. The call is sometimes considered not unlike that of the often sympatric Wahlberg's eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi) but that of the African hawk-eagle tends to be less drawn out and more mellow in tone.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: I've Got It On Film! · CC BY 2.0
Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos)

Lappet-faced Vulture

Torgos tracheliotos

Huge7.0 kgGrassland

The lappet-faced vulture is a very large species, ranking as the longest and largest winged vulture in its range, behind the closely related cinereous vulture, although some co-occurring Gyps vultures tend to be heavier on average, especially the Cape vulture and Eurasian griffon. This species measures around 95–115 cm (37–45 in) in body length, with a wingspan of 2.5–2.9 m (8.2–9.5 ft). Among the standard measurements, the wing chord is 71.5–82.5 cm (28.1–32.5 in), the tail is 33–36 cm (13–14 in) and the tarsus is 12.2–15 cm (4.8–5.9 in). The bill, at up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long and 5 cm (2.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Dirk Froebel · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Hawk-Eagle and Lappet-faced Vulture.