Bird Guide

Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle vs Ornate Hawk-Eagle

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
Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus)

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Spizaetus ornatus

Large1.2 kgForest

This is a medium to large-sized species of raptor, but small for an eagle. In the ornate hawk-eagle, the sexes are similar in appearance and overlap in size, but like most birds of prey, do show reverse sexual dimorphism, in which females outsize males to the contrary of most nonraptorial birds. The biggest female ornate hawk-eagles are 13% larger than biggest males, with an average of about 8% greater in nominate race. In Central America, in extreme cases, the largest females are as much as 50% heavier than the smallest males. Voice: The main call known for the ornate hawk-eagle is a series of loud piping whistles. It is emitted by the soaring bird, usually male, and is often transcribed as whi whee-whee-wheep, the whee repeated anywhere from 2 to 9 times. Numerous variations are known are given in terms of transcription but most sources describe in roughly similar ways.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Call · San Antonio De Los Altos (near Parroquia Macarao), Los Salias, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0
Photo: My-Lan Le · 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: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle and Ornate Hawk-Eagle.