Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Danish: Pragttopørn Swedish: ? Norwegian: ? Icelandic: ?

Faroese: ? Greenlandic: ? Finnish: ? German:Prachthaubenadler

French: ? Spanish: Toghoroll Italian: ? Arabic: ?

Physical Characteristics: Size: medium sized eagle Build: compact Weight: S. o. vicarius: 964-1607 g Wings and tail: Wingspan: Colours: S. o. vicarius: crown and crest black; chestnut collar; throat white, black back - sometimes with brown bases and white white tips; front, winglinings and ends of primaries barred with white and black. S. o. ornatus: a little paler. Voice: 'Wheeoo-whee peep' near the nest. Another call is a laughing series of notes, alternately accelerating and decelerating 'with an excited-sounding set of notes that rise and fall in small crescendos.' When hunting it also utters a cry which resembles the snarling growl of a 50 kg cat, which makes prey-species in range 'screamingly frantic'. Easily confused with: Spizastur melanoleucus, black hawk-eagle, Isidors eagle Range: S. o. vicarius: Tropical South- and North America; central Mexico to northern Argentina and Paraguay. Trinidad and Tobago. Population: Fairly common (Dean/Amadon)

Migration: Non-migratory.

Habitat: Humid tropical climate

Breeding: The pair often soars together. Later on the female will perch, while the male displays before her, circling high, and alternately diving and rising again in an angle of 45 degrees, and constantly calling her. Looping gyrations is a very characteristic part of the displays, sometimes ending in a complete loop.
   b;Nesting takes place during the dry season, and the young leave the nest early in the rainy season.

Food: Medium- and large-sized birds; parrot, chicken, quail, guans, and small mammals.

Use in Falconry: Very rare in European and North American falconry, but occasionally used in South American.