The black eagle (''Ictinaetus malaiensis'') is a bird of prey. Like all
eagle
Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
s, it is in the family
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae () is one of the four families within the order Accipitriformes, and is a family of small to large birds of prey with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects ...
, and is the only member of the genus ''Ictinaetus''. They soar over
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, as well as southeastern China. They hunt mammals and birds, particularly at their
nest
A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold Egg (biology), eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of ...
s. They are easily identified by their widely splayed and long primary "fingers", the characteristic silhouette, slow flight and yellow ceres and legs that contrast with their dark feathers.
Taxonomy and systematics
The species name is spelt ''malayensis'' in most publications but the original spelling used by Temminck in his description uses the spelling ''malaiensis'' according to a 2011 finding of some of the original covers of the part publications leading to taxonomists applying the principle of priority and rejecting any later spelling emendations.
A
molecular phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study of the Accipitridae published in 2024 found that the black eagle is
sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
to the three spotted eagles in the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Clanga''.
Two
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
are recognised:
* ''I. m. perniger'' (
Hodgson
Hodgson is a surname. In United Kingdom, Britain, the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common (766 per million) in 1881 and the 206th most common (650 per million) in 1998. In the United States, United States of America, Hodgson was the 3753rd mo ...
, 1836) – north India and Nepal, Bhutan, south India and Sri Lanka.
* ''I. m. malaiensis'' (
Temminck, 1822) – Myanmar, Bangladesh, to south China, southeast Asia and
Indonesian Archipelago (except
Lesser Sunda Islands
The Lesser Sunda Islands (, , ), now known as Nusa Tenggara Islands (, or "Southeast Islands"), are an archipelago in the Indonesian archipelago. Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali pro ...
).
Description

The black eagle is a large but slender eagle, at about in length and in
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...
. Despite its large appearance (it is one of the largest eagles in its range), known weights are relatively modest, at between , about half the weight of the partially sympatric
mountain hawk-eagle, the latter being of a similar total length. Adults have all-black plumage, with a yellow bill base (
cere
The beak, bill, or Rostrum (anatomy), rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for pecking, wikt:grasp#Verb, grasping, and holding (in wikt:probe ...
) and feet. The wings are long and pinched in at the innermost primaries giving a distinctive shape. The tail shows faint barring and upper tail covers are paler. When perched the wing tips reach till or exceed the tail tip. The wings are held in a shallow V (wings just above the horizontal plane) in flight. Seen on hot afternoons, scouring the treetops for a nest to maraud, this bird is easily spotted by its jet black colour, large size, and a characteristic slow flight, sometimes just above the canopy.
Sexes are similar, but young birds have a buff head, underparts and underwing coverts. The wing shape helps to distinguish this species from the dark form of
changeable hawk-eagle, (''Nisaetus cirrhatus''). The tarsi are fully feathered and the toes are relatively stout and short with long claws (particularly on the inner toe) that are less strongly curved than in other birds of prey.
Distribution and habitat
The black eagle breeds in tropical and subtropical
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. Race ''perniger'' (Hodgson, 1836) is found in the
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...
n foothills west through Nepal into the Indian states of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...
and
Jammu & Kashmir, and in the forests of the Eastern and
Western Ghats in peninsular
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The bird's westernmost extent is from
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
, especially in the forested areas in southern and eastern Gujarat. The species also extends into the Aravalli range of northwestern India. The nominate race ''malaiensis'' (Temminck, 1822) is found in Myanmar, Bangladesh, southern China (Yunnan, Fujian) and Taiwan, into Southeast Asia. They are generally residents and no migrations have been observed.
In a study in southern India, it was found to favour forests with good forest cover and was absent from areas where the cover was less than 50%. Black eagles have been regularly observed in the skies of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, where they are known to breed and thrive, particularly in the hilly and forested regions of the country. Their presence is most prominent in the southeastern and northeastern areas, where the terrain is characterized by dense forests and rolling hills. Among these regions,
Chittagong
Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
and
Sylhet
Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...
stands out as a key habitat for the black eagles, that reside in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
.
Behaviour and ecology
Breeding
The courtship display involves steep dives with folded wings with swoops up in a U shape into a vertical stall.
They build a platform nest, 3 to 4 feet wide, on a tall tree overlooking a steep valley. One or two white eggs which are blotched in brown and mauve may be laid during the nesting season between January and April. The nest site may be reused year after year.
File:Black eagle 9.jpg, Black eagle nest
File:Black eagle 6.jpg, Black eagle bringing materials for nesting.
File:Black Eagle in Kaggalipura.JPG, The primaries are long and well splayed out in slow flight
Food and feeding
The black eagle eats
mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s (including bats,
squirrels and other small mammals),
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s and eggs. It is a prolific nest-predator and is known for its slow flight just over the canopy.
The curved claws and wide gape allow it to pick up eggs of birds from nests as well as swiftlets from caves.
Along with
swallow-tailed kites they share the unique habit of carrying away an entire nest with nestlings to a feeding perch. Squirrels, macaques and many species of birds emit alarm calls when these birds are spotted soaring over the forest. The
Indian giant squirrel has been noted as a prey of this species and young
bonnet macaque
The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemism, endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari River, Godavari a ...
s may also fall prey to them.
Threats and survival
It is not threatened but uncommon in large areas in its distribution. Shrinking of forested areas due to large-scale extraction has reduced its earlier range.
Relationship to humans
Due to this eagle's ability to remain aloft for long periods with minimal effort, the
Lepcha people
The Lepcha (; also called Rongkup ( Lepcha: , ''Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup'', "beloved children of the Róng and of God") and Rongpa ( Sikkimese: )) are among the indigenous people of the Indian state of Sikkim and Nepal, and number around 80,00 ...
of India's
Darjeeling district described it as a bird that never sat down, while the
Soliga people's name (''Kaana Kattale)'' recalls its black colour and its presence in relatively forested areas.
References
External links
Internet Bird CollectionNotes on the species in JavaCall and sonogramVideo of pair bathing in stream near nesting site
Historical publications
Illustrationand description (in French) by Temminck (''Pl. Col.'' vol. 1, plate 117, pages 104–105.)
* 1836 origina
descriptionof Nepalese race as ''Aquila Pernigra'' by
B. H. Hodgson (now a subspecies ''I. m. perniger'').
* 184
proposal of new genus''Heteropus'' by Hodgson, separated from ''Aquila'' based on the unusual form of the black eagle's foot. With a footnote by Blyth noting that
Jerdon had sent specimens to the museum labeled ''Ictinaëtus ovivorus''. Text and illustration.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q795439
black eagle
black eagle
Birds of prey of Asia
Birds of Indomalaya
Birds of Taiwan
black eagle
Beşiktaş J.K.