The African Crowned Eagle, scientifically known as Stephanoaetus coronatus, is a formidable bird of prey native to sub-Saharan Africa. Also known as the crowned hawk-eagle, this species is the only extant member of the genus Stephanoaetus. This majestic bird is celebrated for its strength, hunting prowess, and distinctive appearance.
While the martial eagle is the largest eagle in Africa, the crowned eagle is considered the most powerful, capable of taking down prey much larger than itself. The African Crowned Eagle has an incredible ability to take down prey that is significantly larger in size than itself, and it is known to hunt monkeys, small antelopes, and even domestic livestock. Let's delve into the fascinating world of this apex predator.
WATCH A GOLDEN EAGLE HUNTING FOR DEER
Physical Characteristics
Adult Crowned Eagles are striking with a dark to rufous-tinged brown crown featuring a prominent, often-raised black-tipped double crest. The adult bird is quite strikingly plumaged. The upperparts are a blackish brown-grey color, with a variable tinge of blue. The throat is brown while the belly and breast are white overlaid densely with blackish bars and blotches, variably marked with cream or rich buff-rufous coloration.
The wing primaries (flight feathers) are white at the base, broadly tipped with black and crossed by two black bars. The tail is black with brownish-grey bands. The underwing coverts have a bold chestnut coloration, spotted lightly with black. The adult Crowned eagle has eyes that can range from yellow to almost white.
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Key physical attributes of the African Crowned Eagle include:
- Size: Up to 3 feet (91 cm) in height
- Wingspan: Up to 6 feet (183 cm)
- Weight: Up to 11 pounds (5 kg)
- Talons: Unusually large and strong
Even though the crowned eagle has a long tail, making it up to 90 cm (35 in) long, it's lighter and has a shorter wingspan than Africa's largest eagle, the martial eagle. However, it's known as Africa's most powerful eagle for its size. It can even hunt animals as heavy as 30 kg (66 lb), like young bushbucks. Crowned eagles have huge talons and strong legs, often killing prey by crushing their skulls.
The adult Crowned eagle has eyes that can range from yellow to almost white. This beautiful hunter possesses unusually large talons and strong legs and may kill by crushing the skull.
Young crowned eagles look very different from adults. Most young birds have a white head and underside, but their legs are heavily spotted with black. Their back is light brown or grayish-brown. As they grow, their colors change.
The following table summarizes the key physical characteristics of the African Crowned Eagle:
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| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| Size | Up to 3 feet (91 cm) in height |
| Wingspan | Up to 6 feet (183 cm) |
| Weight | Up to 11 pounds (5 kg) |
| Plumage | Dark brown with lighter underbelly and barred pattern |
| Eyes | Piercing yellow |
Adult African Crowned Eagle with its distinctive crest.
Habitat and Distribution
Crowned eagles live only in Africa. In East Africa, they can be found from central Ethiopia down to eastern South Africa. In western and central Africa, they live across the large African rainforests, from Senegal to Angola. These eagles prefer dense woodlands and deep rainforests. They can also be found in smaller patches of woods, hillsides, and rocky areas. They live from sea level up to 3000 m (9,800 ft) high. Because their habitat is shrinking, their population is often spread out.
Crowned eagles are found only in Africa. In East Africa, their range extends from central Ethiopia to Uganda, forested parts of Kenya and Tanzania to as far south as eastern South Africa, with a southern distribution limit around Knysna. In western and central Africa, Crowned eagles may be found from Senegal, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon, where they inhabit the Guinean forests, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they live in the Congolian forests, and down south to as far Angola. Despite their large distribution there, Crowned eagle are now rare in many parts of West Africa.
These raptors inhabit mainly dense woodlands, including those deep within the rainforest, but will sometimes also be found in relict patches, wooded escarpments, riparian strips of Acacia, heavily wooded hillsides, and rocky outcrops throughout its range. Around stretches of East Africa, Crowned eagles usually live in wooded areas of rocky hills and narrow riverine strips, only rarely ranging into savanna surrounding the hills.
Distribution of the Crowned Eagle in Africa.
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Behavior and Hunting
Crowned eagles live in pairs. They are largely sedentary and usually inhabit a fixed territory throughout the year. Crowned eagles are considered nervous, constantly alert and on edge. However, their main hunting techniques require long periods of inactivity, spent sitting on a perch.
Crowned eagles may hunt alone or in pairs and mainly kill early in the morning and in the evening prior to sundown. These beautiful hunters may locate a suitable hunting spot by listening (such as via the call of the noisy vervet monkey) or watching for prey activity, though may also use habitual hunting perches where they've previously had hunting successes. They often still-hunt, wherein they drop or stoop onto prey from a branch perch.
Like most raptors in Africa, crowned eagles don't migrate. They usually stay in the same area their whole adult lives. Crowned eagles are very noisy birds, especially during their display flights. They make loud, rising and falling whistles. Males perform impressive dives and climbs high above the forest, calling loudly. They can fly over 900 m (3,000 ft) high during these displays. Females also display, but their calls are lower.
Vocalizations and Displays
Crowned eagles are highly vocal and have a noisy, undulating display flight. The male performs an elaborate rise-and-fall display over the forest canopy both during the breeding season and outside as a territorial proposition. Territorial displays consist of a series of steep dives and ascents, with a few wing-flaps at the top of each climb and descending circles and figures of eight.
During descents, eagles can drop as much as 60 m (200 ft) at a time before circling back up. During this display, the male is noisy, uttering a shrill kewee-kewee-kewee while throwing his head back. The adult female may also perform independent display flights, uttering a lower kooee-kooee-kooee. Pairs also perform visually striking mutual displays, sometimes arising from the first type or when the pairs come together after a brief absence.
Diet and Hunting Techniques
Crowned eagles are carnivores and most of their diet consists of mammals. They hunt mainly small ungulates (such as duikers, chevrotains), rock hyrax and small primates such as monkeys.
The Crowned Eagle is perhaps the only living eagle that regularly attacks prey heavier than 9 kg (20 lb). They can even hunt animals up to 20 kg (44 lb). Crowned eagles hunt mostly in the early morning and evening. They don't need to fly long distances to find food. They often hunt by sitting on a perch and waiting for prey. When they spot prey, they quickly and quietly fly through the forest to surprise it. Most of their kills happen on the ground. Their strong talons can kill prey instantly, sometimes by piercing the skull.
Crowned Eagle hunting its prey.
Breeding and Life Cycle
Crowned eagles are monogamous and mate for life. Pairs usually breed once every two years almost year-around, though egg-laying seems to peak from July to November. After engaging in the breeding display, the pair starts to build a massive nest in a fork of a large forest tree, usually 12-45 m (39-148 ft) above the ground. While the female fetches more nesting material, the male tends to be more active in nest construction.
The female lays 1 or 2 eggs usually just white, though may sometimes be overlaid with sparse red-brown markings. Incubation lasts around 49 days done mainly by the female. The male brings food to the incubating female every 3 to 5 days. The young hatch, covered in down, and first feathers appear in 40 days. If two eggs are laid, the younger one dies by starvation after being outcompeted for food by the older one or even directly killed by its older sibling.
After 40 days of age, the young is capable of feeding itself, though is often still fed. The young fledge at 90 to 115 days but remains in the care of its parents for another 11 months. Today, the population of Crowned eagle is decreasing due to the almost epidemic destruction of the native tropical African forest.
Conservation Status
Today, the population of Crowned eagle is decreasing due to the almost epidemic destruction of the native tropical African forest. This species main habitat is rich, high-canopy forest, which is a major target of timber companies, agriculturists, palm oil and biofuel plantations and miners as well as slash and burns farmers.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Crowned eagle population size is around 5,000-50,000 mature individuals. Crowned eagles play an important role in the local ecosystem, controlling prey populations.
Despite the spectacular and conspicuous nature of their display flights, Crowned eagles are sometimes considered "clumsy" fliers out in the open, lacking the grace and speed attributed to other eagles in a high-flying context.
Fun Facts
- Monogamous Pairs: Unlike many other large predatory birds, the African Crowned Eagle is monogamous and forms long-term pair bonds, with a single male and female typically sharing the responsibilities of hunting and raising their young.
- Tool Use: One fascinating behavior of the African Crowned Eagle is its use of a traditional "tool" to help in the process of egg incubation.
