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HAWK-EAGLES

© Mazhar Ali

1.FEATHERTOED EAGLE-HAWK SIZE; Length 70 cm (28 in). FIELD CHARACTERS; A slender, crested, forest-haunting eagle. Identified in flight-silhouette by the short rounded wings upturned at ends, and longish unexpanded tail. Above, brown with a long black nuchal crest. Rump barred with white. Tail dark brown broadly barred with Grey, and with a broad black subterminal band. Below, throat and breast fulvous white boldly streaked with black. A prominent black median gular stripe flanks and under tail-coverts barred with white. Sexes are alike. Female is larger than male. In very old birds black streaks on breast replaced by broken white bars. Young birds very variable. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident, between 600 and 3300 meters in the eastern Himalayas. Bold, powerful, very fast and adroit on the wing, though usually hunts ground game such as junglefowl, pheasant and hare by pouncing on them from a leafy ambush on the edge of a forest clearing- in the manner of Accipiters. Call is shrill metallic whistle, kee-kikik.

2.BONELLI'S HAWK-EAGLE. SIZE, kite; length 70 cm (28 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS, A rather slender but powerful uncrested raptor with broad rounded wings and relatively long tail. Above, dark umber brown. Tail is dark Grey (above), whitish underneath with a broad black terminal band and several others narrower and fainter. Below, white to buff, streaked with blackish. Sexes are alike: female is larger than male bird. In overhead flight, white body, blackish under wing-coverts, finely Grey-barred black tipped flight quills and longish tail with broad black subterminal bands are leading pointers. Young birds confusing: unformally brown or rufous-buff on underparts, streaked with blackish. Tail narrowly barred and mottled, and without the black subterminal band. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident? Uncommon: well-wooded country-foothills and upto 2400 meters. A bold and active hunter of small mammals and large birds such as junglefowl and pheasants. Either pounces on quarry from ambush in tree or chases it with great dash and agile twists and turns. Soars aloft like most raptors. Call is shrill creaking chatter kie-kie-kikiki rather like feathertoed Eagle.

3.RUFOUSBELLIED HAWK-EAGLE SIZE, kite, length 50-60 cm (20-24 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; A handsome slender eagle with a prominent occipital crest. Above, glossy black, including crest. Below, throat and upper breasts white with long black streaks; rest rufous-chestnut, streaked with black on belly and flanks. Sexes are alike; Female is larger than male bird. In flight, long wings and relatively short tail present falcon-like profile. A pale brown patches on upper side of wings and pale Grey undersurface, white breast and rufous belly diagonistic.

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