Skip to main content

Blyth's Hawk-Eagle

Nisaetus alboniger
The Blyth's Hawk-Eagle is a really funky looking bird of prey, with a tall black crest and a black and white spotted breast. They are considered small for Eagles, but are medium-sized when compared to all birds of prey, sporting body lengths just short of 2ft. The common name for the bird comes from Edward Blyth, an English zoologist who was the curator of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.

You can find the Blyth's Hawk-Eagle in parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. They live inside and on the fringes of lowland and low mountain forests, living at altitudes of less than 1800m. They hunt from perches of a variety of heights, taking animals like small reptiles and bats.

When it comes to breeding, the Hawk-Eagles build very large, deep nests. So deep, in fact, that an adult bird can sit in the nest and not be seen from eye level! They lay only one egg at a time, but the exact incubation period and time to fledge is unknown.

Blyth's Hawk-Eagles, along with other members of their genus, used to be classified within Spizaetus, the group that New World Hawk-Eagles belong to. However, recent molecular studies have shown that the New World and Old World birds should belong to two different genera, and thus the Blyth's and their close relatives were all moved to Nisaetus.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Southeast Asia
Size : Length up to 21in (55cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Accipitriformes
Family : Accipitridae -- Genus : Nisaetus -- Species : N. alboniger
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more