Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) | Photos, Calls and ID

NTNear ThreatenedVertebrates

ForestPlatform nestLarge · 1.2 kg

What the Ornate Hawk-Eagle sounds like

Sonogram of the Ornate Hawk-Eagle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Call · San Antonio De Los Altos (near Parroquia Macarao), Los Salias, Miranda, Venezuela · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Rosa Elena Albornoz @rosaelena_naturaleza · Call · El Roble (near Parroquia La Dolorita), Sucre, Distrito Capital, Venezuela · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Ornate Hawk-Eagle

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Regular range

The map shades 20 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Costa Rica Belize Colombia Brazil Panama Mexico Venezuela Guatemala Ecuador Peru Trinidad & Tobago Guyana Argentina Honduras Nicaragua Suriname Bolivia French Guiana Paraguay El Salvador

About the Ornate Hawk-Eagle

The ornate hawk-eagle is a bird of prey from the tropical Americas. Formerly, some authorities referred to this species as the crested hawk-eagle, a name that may cause some confusion as it is more commonly used for an Asian eagle species. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. This species has a feathered tarsus that marks it as a member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. This species is notable for the vivid colors and bold markings of adults, which differ considerably from the far more whitish plumage of the juvenile bird.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black-and-white Hawk-EagleSpizaetus melanoleucusAs its name suggests, this is a black and white eagle, resembling the small typical eagles sometimes separated in "Hieraaetus".

Black-and-chestnut EagleSpizaetus isidoriIt 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).

Black Hawk-EagleSpizaetus tyrannusThe black hawk-eagle is 58–70 cm (23–27.5 in) long and weighs about 900 to 1,300 grams (2.0 to 2.9 pounds).

Side by side: Black Hawk-Eagle vs Ornate Hawk-Eagle · Ornate Hawk-Eagle vs Palm-nut Vulture · Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle vs Ornate Hawk-Eagle · Black-and-chestnut Eagle vs Ornate Hawk-Eagle

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