The pygmy eagle or New Guinea hawk-eagle (''Hieraaetus weiskei'') is a

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...

found in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are primarily

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...

and subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

. It was the smallest species of

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Taxonomy

The pygmy eagle was described by German naturalist

Anton Reichenow Anton Reichenow (1 August 1847 in Charlottenburg – 6 July 1941 in Hamburg) was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis, and worked at the Natural History Museum of Berlin from 1874 to 1921. He wa ...

as ''Eutolmaetus weiskei'' in 1900. It was subsequently considered a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

little eagle The little eagle (''Hieraaetus morphnoides'') is a very small eagle native to Australia, measuring 45–55 cm (17–21.5 inches) in length and weighing 815 g (1.8 lb), roughly the size of a peregrine falcon. It tends to inhabit open w ...

or a distinct species. Gjershaug and colleagues analysed it genetically and found it distinct enough to warrant species status. The

International Ornithologists' Union The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...

(IOC) subsequently recognised it as a distinct species. "Pygmy eagle" has been designated the official name by the IOC.

Description

Size

The pygmy eagle is one of the world's smallest-known species of

and smallest living member of the

Aquilinae The Aquilinae are a subfamily of eagles of the family Accipitridae. The general common name used for members of this subfamily is "booted eagle", although this is also the common name of a member of the subfamily.Lerner, H., Christidis, L., Gamau ...

subfamily, only rivaled by the

Great Nicobar serpent eagle The Great Nicobar serpent eagle (''Spilornis klossi''), also known as the South Nicobar serpent eagle, is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is probably the smallest known eagle, with a weight of about , a wingspan of and a ...

in diminutive size by all modern species referred to as eagles. Pygmy eagle measures in length. The wingspan measures . The female eagle is slightly larger than the male. One male pygmy eagle was found to weigh . One study estimated the body mass of males of the species to fall around while that of females to fall around .Parry, S. J. (2001). ''The booted eagles (Aves: Accipitridae): perspectives in evolutionary biology''. University of London, University College London (United Kingdom).

Identification

The pygmy eagle shares many characteristics with its counterpart the

. The most notable differences are color. The pygmy eagle has darker more pronounced streaks on the nape, crown and ventral. The bird also shares characteristics with the

booted eagle The booted eagle (''Hieraaetus pennatus'', also classified as ''Aquila pennata'') is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a ...

, both eagles have a unique underwing pattern. The

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

of the pygmy eagle can vary depending on the morph, light or dark. The dark morph is very similar to the dark morph of the little eagle, while the light morph shows the most differences that occur in the dark streaking. The dark morph seems to be rarer as 10 out of 11 field sightings have been the light morph. The feet of the eagle are described as grey or dull yellow.

Voice

The voice of the pygmy eagle has been described as a "''sip sip yeeee''" during flights. The call can also be compared to the

and

. The bird has also been observed giving a weaker single tone squeal.

Distribution and habitat

The pygmy eagle primarily resides in lowland forests and forest edges in

. They enjoy nesting in closed forestry but have also been seen in open habitat and forest edges. The bird seems to be sparsely distributed throughout the hilly forests of New Guinea; however much of the forests of New Guinea are inaccessible so the eagle may be more abundant than it seems. One of the densely forested parts of New Guinea is Vogelkop or

Bird's Head Peninsula The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces o ...

. The pygmy eagle has been observed nineteen times in the Vogelkop over three years. It has also been observed on the island

Buru Buru (formerly spelled Boeroe, Boro, or Bouru) is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Ma ...

and in the northern

Moluccas The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located eas ...

Food

Pygmy eagles have been seen soaring and diving on prey in forest canopies. The raptor is capable of very swift dives and attacks other avians such as the

brown cuckoo-dove The brown cuckoo-dove (''Macropygia phasianella'') is a dove in the genus ''Macropygia'' found in Australia from Weipa and Aurukun in the north to Bega, New South Wales, Bega in the south, and most inland at Atherton, Queensland, Atherton and Too ...

and mountain fruit-dove. Usually, the raptor low soars over the canopy scanning for prey and then dives on other birds in the canopy.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1275878

pygmy eagle The pygmy eagle or New Guinea hawk-eagle (''Hieraaetus weiskei'') is a bird of prey found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are primarily subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It was the ...

Birds of New Guinea

Taxa named by Anton Reichenow Taxonomy articles created by Polbot