Bird Guide

Black-and-chestnut Eagle vs Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

Black-and-chestnut Eagle (Spizaetus isidori)

Black-and-chestnut Eagle

Spizaetus isidori

Huge3.1 kgForest

It is a fairly large eagle and very large raptor at 60 to 80 cm (24 to 31 in) in total length with a wingspan of 147 to 180 cm (4 ft 10 in to 5 ft 11 in). It is largest current member of the genus Spizaetus, with the smallest males somewhat larger linearly than the largest female ornate hawk-eagles. Full grown weights for black-and-chestnut eagles have been reported as 1.5 to 3.5 kg (3.3 to 7.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Black-and-chestnut Eagle
Recorded by Andres Felipe Espinosa · Alarm call · Chaparral, Tolima, Colombia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: http://www.birdphotos.com · CC BY 3.0
Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus melanoleucus)

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus melanoleucus

Large850 gForest

As its name suggests, this is a black and white eagle, resembling the small typical eagles sometimes separated in "Hieraaetus". It is some 20–24 in (51–61 cm) long overall and weighs about 30 oz (850 g). The head, neck and body are white; a small crest forms a black spot on top of the head, and the area around the eyes, particularly towards the bill, is also black. The wings are black with a noticeable white leading edge, and the bird has a brownish tail barred black-dark grey and with white tip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Kai Squires · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-and-chestnut Eagle and Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle.