African hawk-eagle

The African hawk-eagle (Aquila spilogaster) is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. This species’ feathered legs mark it as a member of the Aquilinae subfamily. The African hawk-eagle breeds in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a bird of assorted woodland, including both savanna and hilly areas but the tend to occur in woodland that is typically dry. The species tends to be rare in areas where their preferred habitat type is absent. This species builds a stick nest of around across in a large tree. The clutch is generally one or two eggs. The African hawk-eagle is powerfully built and hunts small to medium sized mammals and birds predominantly, occasionally taking reptiles and other prey as well. The call is a shrill kluu-kluu-kluu. The African hawk-eagle is considered a fairly stable species and a species of Least Concern per the IUCN. The African eagle is a member of the Aquilinae or booted eagles. This is a rather monophyletic subfamily of Approximately 38 species are classified in the subfamily, all bearing the signature well-feathered tarsi. The Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata) was once lumped within the same species as the African hawk-eagle. However, there are several morphological differences between the two species, in addition to discrepancies in life history and their considerably allopatric distribution. Now, the two species are almost universally considered distinct species. Despite the differences between the Bonelli's eagle and the African hawk-eagle the two species are visibly similar and are still considered sister species. Recent DNA research has resulted in the two species being moved, in 2014, to the genus Aquila from Hieraaetus, along with a third possibly related species, the Cassin's hawk-eagle (Aquila africana). More specifically and surprisingly, Bonelli's, African hawk- and Cassin's hawk-eagles were found to be genetically closely related to the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) species complex, which also includes Verreaux's eagle (Aquila verreauxii), Gurney's eagle (Aquila gurneyi) and wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax).