Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle

This striking and medium-sized bird of prey is characterized by its elegant, highly contrasting plumage. Adults typically measure between 50 and 61 centimeters (19.6 to 24 inches) in length, with a wingspan ranging from 110 to 117 centimeters (43 to 46 inches), and weigh approximately 850 grams (1.87 pounds). Its head, neck, and entire underparts are pure white, which stands out sharply against the deep pitch-black coloration of its back, wings, and tail. It features a prominent black mask around its piercing yellow eyes, along with a small, erectable black crest at the nape. The cere is a vivid bright orange or yellow, contrasting with the black bill, and its tarsi are fully feathered down to the toes, a defining trait of the Spizaetus genus. In flight, its broad, rounded wings display a pale, finely barred pattern underneath.

This striking and medium-sized bird of prey is characterized by its elegant, highly contrasting plumage. Adults typically measure between 50 and 61 centimeters (19.6 to 24 inches) in length, with a wingspan ranging from 110 to 117 centimeters (43 to 46 inches), and weigh approximately 850 grams (1.87 pounds). Its head, neck, and entire underparts are pure white, which stands out sharply against the deep pitch-black coloration of its back, wings, and tail. It features a prominent black mask around its piercing yellow eyes, along with a small, erectable black crest at the nape. The cere is a vivid bright orange or yellow, contrasting with the black bill, and its tarsi are fully feathered down to the toes, a defining trait of the Spizaetus genus. In flight, its broad, rounded wings display a pale, finely barred pattern underneath.

Geographical distribution: It is widely but patchily distributed throughout the Neotropical region. Its geographic range extends from southern Mexico (including the Yucatán Peninsula), southward through Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama), and deep into South America. Within the South American continent, it is found in the Amazon Basin, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina (specifically Misiones and Salta provinces), and vast areas of Brazil, particularly in the northeastern, southeastern, and southern regions.

Habitat: It primarily inhabits humid tropical and subtropical lowland forests, montane evergreen forests, and gallery forests. It exhibits a strong preference for forest edges, natural clearings, and mature secondary woodlands adjacent to more open landscapes. Although it is most frequently observed in continuous forest canopies below 1200 meters (3,900 feet) in elevation, it can occasionally be found in mountainous terrain up to 2000 meters (6,500 feet). It requires large, emergent canopy trees for nesting, roosting, and hunting perches.

Feeding: It is an opportunistic and highly versatile predator, with a diet dominated by birds, which make up the bulk of its prey. Common avian targets include toucans, guans, tinamous, parrots, cotingas, and various canopy-dwelling passerines, as well as wetland birds like herons and ducks. This diet is supplemented by arboreal and terrestrial mammals, such as squirrels, opossums, small monkeys, and rodents. Occasionally, it will also prey on reptiles, including large lizards and snakes active in the upper canopy.

Behavior: It is a discreet and solitary raptor that often remains undetected while perched quietly inside dense foliage. However, it becomes highly conspicuous during mid-morning hours when it engages in high-altitude soaring using warm thermal updrafts. During these soaring displays, it frequently emits distinctive, high-pitched whistling calls. It hunts primarily through ambush tactics from concealed perches or by performing spectacular, high-speed diving stoops from soaring heights directly into the forest canopy to surprise prey.

Nesting: The breeding cycle begins with aerial courtship displays and the construction or repair of a massive nest. This structure is a bulky platform built from dry sticks and green leaves, positioned at great heights, typically 25 to 40 meters (82 to 130 feet) above the ground in the fork of an emergent tree that rises above the canopy. Females usually lay 1 to 2 white eggs blotched with reddish-brown. The incubation period is long and performed mostly by the female, while the male provides food. Nestlings remain in the nest for several weeks before fledging and rely on parental care for an extended post-fledging period.

Conservation status: It is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Despite its extensive geographic range, its population densities are naturally low, and it is considered rare throughout its distribution. The primary threats it faces at regional levels are rapid deforestation, forest fragmentation, the loss of mature emergent trees for nesting, and direct persecution due to occasional predation on domestic poultry. Consequently, it is listed as threatened or endangered under national legislation in several countries within its range.