The rufous-bellied eagle or rufous-bellied hawk-eagle (''Lophotriorchis kienerii'') 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 ...

in the family Accipitridae that is found in the forested regions of tropical Asia. Relatively small for eagles and contrastingly patterned like a falcon, this species was earlier placed in the genus ''Hieraaetus'' and sometimes also in the genus ''Aquila'' but thought to be distinctive enough to belong to a separate genus.

Taxonomy and systematics

This eagle was originally described as ''Astur kienerii'' on the basis of a specimen from the Himalayas. It was later moved to ''Limnaetus'' by Jerdon, the genus ''Lophotriorchis'' and still later to ''Hieraaetus'', the so-called "hawk-eagles". A study of the phylogeny of some ''Hieraaetus'' species and other eagles indicated that they were nested within the ''Aquila'' clade of eagles, resulting in their repositioning. Another molecular study of the eagles suggested that ''kienerii'' was distinctive enough to be retained in a separate genus for which the name ''Kienastur'' had been suggested but as this occurred in a thesis it is invalid for

taxonomic Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

purposes, and in any case ''Lophotriorchis'' was proposed much earlier (though originally shared with the

Black-and-chestnut eagle The black-and-chestnut eagle (''Spizaetus isidori'') is a South American species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is sometimes called Isidor's eagle. It is often placed in the monotypic genus ''Oroaetus''. However, recent genetic t ...

which is nowadays placed in ''Spizaetus''). Within its wide range, two subspecies are recognized although there is no marked plumage difference. The nominate ''kienerii'' of India and Sri Lanka (the northern birds are larger); and ''formosus'' described by

Erwin Stresemann Erwin Friedrich Theodor Stresemann (22 November 1889, in Dresden – 20 November 1972, in East Berlin) was a German naturalist and ornithologist. Stresemann was an ornithologist of extensive breadth who compiled one of the first and most compreh ...

in 1924 which is widely distributed across Southeast Asia from Burma to Sulawesi.

Description

Adult rufous-bellied eagles are distinctive in their pattern. They have a black hood with a short crest. Chestnut underparts and wing coverts contrast with the white on the throat and breast. The sexes are almost indistinguishable in plumage but females are slightly larger and have more black on the face. They perch in a very upright stance and the wingtip almost reaches the tail. The tarsus is fully feathered. Juveniles have very white underparts with dark markings on the sides of the body, head mask and edge of underwing coverts. They can appear similar to a booted eagle ('' Aquila pennata''). In flight, the underwing lining is dark and the greater coverts are black. The flight feathers are thinly barred with a black edge. The tail is dark and barred.

Distribution and habitat

The rufous-bellied eagle is found in southern and south-eastern Asia and its range also extends to

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

. This species is associated mainly with hill forests. In India, they are commoner in the Western Ghats than along the Himalayas where they occur from Nepal to

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. They also occur in parts of the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

Behaviour and ecology

Rufous-bellied eagles are usually seen in flight, soaring high over the forest canopy. They dive to capture prey that can include birds and mammals in the air, canopy, or forest floor. Birds the size of the

Sri Lanka wood pigeon The Sri Lanka wood pigeon (''Columba torringtoniae'') is a pigeon which is an endemic resident breeding bird in the mountains of Sri Lanka. This species nests in damp evergreen woodlands in the central highlands, building a stick nest in a tree ...

Kalij pheasant The kalij pheasant (''Lophura leucomelanos'') is a pheasant found in forests and thickets, especially in the Himalayan foothills, from Pakistan to western Thailand. Males are rather variable depending on the subspecies involved, but all have at ...

and

junglefowl Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago. Although origin ...

have been recorded as prey. The breeding season of the eagles is in winter with the young fledging in spring when the prey species are also breeding. The display flight involves stooping and wing-quivering. Their calls include a series of high pitched ''fwick, fwick...'' notes followed by a thin ''sweek!''. They nest on a large, often bare tree, building a large platform of dry sticks and branches that they break off. The nest is lined with green leaves and a single egg is laid. Both parents take turns in incubation, feeding and nest defence.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q280663 rufous-bellied eagle Birds of Bhutan Birds of Nepal Birds of Northeast India Birds of South India Birds of Sri Lanka Birds of Southeast Asia rufous-bellied eagle