Birds · Accipitriformes · Accipitridae

Crested Eagle

Morphnus guianensis

Near Threatened

It could become endangered in the near future if current threats go unchecked. See full glossary

The crested eagle is a large raptor of the American forests, a close relative of the harpy eagle but far more slender and with finer tarsi. It has a single erect crest and two colour morphs, pale and dark. It hunts small monkeys, opossums, birds and reptiles in the canopy and the understorey. It needs large expanses of continuous primary forest, and is one of the first species to disappear when the forest is fragmented.

Weight

1.7 kg – 3 kg

Size

71 cm – 89 cm

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Moderate

RainforestCarnivore Diurnal In pairs Near Threatened Bird Rainforest

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Fun facts

It is often confused with a juvenile harpy eagle, but it is far lighter and finer-legged: the harpy is a brute-force predator and this one hunts with agility and stealth through the vegetation.
Its nest, an enormous platform in an emergent tree, is used for years, and the pair raises a single chick every two or three seasons, an extremely slow rate that leaves it very vulnerable.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Primary lowland rainforest of Central America and the Amazon basin
Sexual maturity: 4 years
Gestation / incubation: 55 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphnus_guianensis