Crowned Eagle

 The crowned eagle is also known as the African crowned eagle or the crowned hawk eagle. It is considered a large bird of prey found in Sub-Saharan Africa and a few other locations in South America.

                                                        

This particular eagle species is threatened due to trapping, shooting, and nest destruction. In addition, they often face competition for prey from humans as well as habitat loss.

Description

• Latin Name: Stephanoaetus coronatus
• Locatation: Subsaharan Africa
• Habitat: Dense woodlands and forests
• Population Status: Near Threatened
• Size: Up to 10 lb 6 oz (4.7 kilograms), with the female weighing more than the male
• Wingspan: 6 ft 3 in (1.9 meters)
• Diet: Mammels including ungulates (such as antelope), rock hyrax, and monkeys
• Physical Features: Dark brown heads, white and blackish feathers, thick legs, and sharp talons
• Lifespan: Up to 15 years.

Crowned eagles are large predatory birds with slate grey feathers and a visible crest. When measuring the crowned eagle size, you will find that these birds are 31 to 30 inches long.

                                            

A male crowned eagle size is typically between 7.1 and 10 pounds, while the female eagle weighs around 5.6 to 9.1 pounds. The crowned eagle wingspan is 5 to 5.9 feet.

African Crowned Eagle Facts

These majestic birds are awe-inspiring and powerful. Keep reading for the top facts about African crowned eagles.

1. The African crowned eagle is also called the crowned eagle, and the crowned hawk-eagle.

2. The African crowned eagle lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. They live from coast to coast across the central part of Africa, and only on the eastern side of the continent as you travel further south.

3. They like to live in dense woodlands and forests, including in African rainforests. But as their traditional habitat is shrinking due to deforestation, you may spot one in a more urban location.

4. The African crowned eagle has a dark brown head. The upper part of its body is covered with dark feathers, while its belly is white with blackish blotches. The wings are also white, but with black tips and two black bars.

They have thick, strong legs with yellow feet and long black talons.

                                                  

A young African crowned eagle looks quite different. It is hatched covered in fluffy, mostly white down. The first body feathers will start coming in at around 40 days, while the crown (head) feathers appear at about 2 months.

                                                   

Their feathers are lighter colored when they are young. It takes 3 years to mature to adult coloration.

The tail of this eagle species is striped boldly in black and white, though juveniles are duller and have plumage that includes quite a bit of brown. Adult eagles have a dark brown head and long crest feathers tipped in white.

5. If you include tail feathers in the measurement, the African crowned eagle is 31-39 inches (80-99 centimeters) long.

                                                

In terms of length, It is the 5th largest eagle in the world! It is preceded by the Philippine eagle, the Harpy eagle, the Wedge-Tailed eagle, and the Steller’s Sea-eagle.

Its long tail helps guide it as it flies among the trees, as a rudder guides a boat.

6.The largest authenticated wingspan of a crowned eagle is 6 ft 3 in (1.9 meters), although some claim they are larger.

For their weight, this is considered a relatively short wingspan. However, their wings are quite broad. This combination gives them great maneuverability in their forested home.

7. On average, the female is about 10-15 percent larger than the male. A female weighs between 3.2-4.7 kilograms.

A male weighs between 2.6-4.1 kilograms. This makes them the 9th heaviest living eagle species.

8. African crowned eagles are meat-eaters. At least 90 percent of their diet is made up of mammals. As they can be found in many different countries in Africa, their diet varies depending on what’s available regionally.

Ungulates (such as antelope), rock hyrax (adorable little mammals native to Africa and the Middle East), and monkeys are regularly on the menu as their principal prey items.

Every once in a while they may chow down on a bird or lizard, but this is not common.

One type of antelope that they feed on is the bushbuck. It can weigh up to 66 pounds (30 kilograms)! That is more than 6 times the weight of the biggest crowned eagle. Although usually, they hunt the antelopes that are only 4 times their size.

9. The crowned eagle is the most powerful eagle in Africa.

Some would argue that it holds the “crown” for the most powerful eagle in the world (based on the ratio of eagle size to prey size), although others would give this title to the harpy eagle.

As mentioned above, crowned eagles are strong enough to go after prey 4-6 times their own weight. Their talons are strong enough to break spines and crush skulls.

As if yet, there has not been an actual test done to measure the pressure per square inch (PSI) of their grip strength.

                                                 

10. Crowned eagles have a disposition described as nervous, constantly alert, and on edge. They will fiercely protect their nest.

11. Crowned eagles are very stealthy. They will perch silently in a tree waiting for an unsuspecting victim to appear down below. When they are ready, they will use their powerful legs, strong toes, and giant talons to snatch their prey, often crushing the skull in the process. For larger prey, the eagle will use its sharp hind talon to break the prey’s spine.

These eagles are built for speed. Thye can swoop after prey at an astonishing 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

A fact that I find both interesting and disturbing is that a pair of crowned eagles may choose to hunt together.

The male will soar high in the sky, making sounds to attract the attention of monkeys in the trees below. With the monkeys looking up in confusion, the female eagle will swoop in and nab one.

They prefer to eat their prey in the safety of tree branches. Larger prey will be torn into pieces on the ground and brought up to the nest bit by bit. I hope you are not eating your lunch while reading this…

12. A male works hard to attract his mate. If she’s going to stick with him for life, she’ll need to be impressed. He’ll fly high into the air and swoop down, only to climb back up again.

At the peak of each climb, he’ll flap his wings very quickly, throw back his head, and call out loudly (for up to 30 seconds). During the descent, he may drop as many as 200 feet (60 meters) at a time before ascending back up.

If the female feels sufficiently wooed, the two will lock talons and cartwheel down toward the ground, letting go at the very last second.

                                                   

There is also a pre-copulation display in which the male runs around the crouching female with his wings upraised.

13. A female crowned eagle will lay 1 or 2 eggs. The eggs are white but sometimes have brownish flecks. Crowned eagles breed once every two years. Incubation lasts for approximately 49 days.

During that period the female will sit on the eggs for 80-90 percent of the time with the male filling in on occasion.

If two eggs are successfully hatched, the weaker of the two will not last. It will either die of starvation (by being outcompeted for food by its sibling), or it may even be killed directly by its sibling. These birds are born fierce.

14. Baby crowned eagles are known by three names (hatchling, eaglet, and fledgling), depending on their life stage.

Hatchlings describe newly hatched eagles.

After a few days, young eagles are called eaglets.

And once they fly for the first time, they become fledglings.

15. Yes, African crowned eagles live in nests. The nest is made using both dead sticks and fresher green branches. The female gathers the material needed to make the nest, while the male is more involved in the construction of it.

A pair of eagles will use the same nest for many years, improving and expanding it. Over time the nest may become as large as 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide, and 10 feet (3 meters) deep. That’s huge!

16. They are not on the endangered species list, although their numbers are on the decline. This is due to the destruction of their home, the tropical African forest. Currently, African crowned eagles are listed as Near Threatened.

An eagle of the same genus (Stephanoaetus), the Malagasy crowned eagle, went extinct sometime around the year 1500.

16. They can live up to 15 years.