Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle Bird

Facts about Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle Bird. "Scientific name for Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird is Spizaetus melanoleucus". The black-and-white hawk-eagle (formally Spizastur melanoleucus and currently Spizaetus melanoleucus) is a preying bird species in the hawk and eagle family Accipitridae. The Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird habits throughout the tropics of America, from northern Argentina to southern Mexico.

Habitat of the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle

The bird mostly inhabit middle and mountain elevations. It is rarely found on lowlands. It also likes forested and hilly terrain such as dry pine forests found in Sierra Madre of Mexico. The Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird has also been spotted in moister forests of mid-latitudes.

Features of the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle

From the name black-and-white hawk-eagle, we can hypothesize that the bird is indeed a black and white eagle, bearing uncanny resemblance to the small typical eagles that are occasionally separated in "Hieraaetus". The bird is 20 to 24 inches (50.8 to 60.9 cm) long and weighs approximately 30 ounces (850 grams). It has a white body, neck and head as a black spot is formed by the small crest on top of the bird’s head.
The Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle eyes, uniquely towards the bill, are also black. The tail of the The black-and-white hawk-eagle is brownish in color but has barred black-grey with a pearly white tip. The wings, however, are black. Something that makes this bird quite colorful is the pale to bright yellow feet, black talons and a black bill with a yellow cere. The color of its iris is orange
Looking at the color, it is very difficult to tell a male from a female Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird. The reason is because they are akin to each other in every aspect of their color. However, their sizes are different as the male is smaller. The difference between an adult and a young/immature bird is that the latter has pale edges on its upper-wing coverts. It also has a couple of brownish-grey feathers on the back.

Nest of the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle

Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle will have their nest around 130 feet (40 meters) up, with a view of the forest and open landscape. The nest is a bowl-shaped structure made of sticks. The clutch is 2 brown, white and gray-spotted eggs.

Diet of the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle

The Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird is a carnivorous bird. The majority of its diet consists of species such as oropendolas, cotingas, aracaris and tanagers. This is because the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle prefers tree-dwelling animals. It also feeds on mammals, wood-quails, reptiles, amphibians, squamates, toads and a plethora of species of birds. Water and ground-birds for instance chachalacas, tinamous and cormorants have been recorded as being preyed on by the Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle bird.