There is only one species of Black Eagle, Ictinaetus malaiensis, which is found in tropical and subtropical Asia. This species has two recognized subspecies: I. m. perniger and I. m. malaiensis.

The Two Subspecies of Black Eagles

Subspecies I. m. perniger

• Found in the Himalayan foothills west through Nepal into the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, and in the forests of the Eastern and Western Ghats in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

Subspecies I. m. malaiensis

• Found in Burma, southern China (Yunnan, Fujian) and Taiwan, into Southeast Asia.

Physical Characteristics of the Black Eagle

Image source: Black Eagle by Mike Prince

The Black Eagle is a large bird of prey with the following physical features:

• All-black plumage
• Yellow bill base (cere) and feet
• Long wings that are pinched in at the innermost primaries, giving a distinctive shape
• Faint barring on the tail, with paler upper tail coverts
• When perched, the wing tips reach till or exceed the tail tip
• Wings held in a shallow V (just above the horizontal plane) in flight

Sexes are similar, but young birds have a buff head, underparts, and underwing coverts.

Feeding Habits of the Black Eagle

The Black Eagle is a carnivore and eats a variety of prey, including:

• Small mammals like bats, squirrels, and monkeys
• Reptiles
• Birds
• Eggs

Breeding and Nesting Behavior

The Black Eagle is a monogamous species and forms pairs. They nest between January and April, and the nest site may be reused year after year. During the breeding season, they perform spectacular courtship displays, which involve:

• Steep dives with folded wings
• Swoops up in a U shape into a vertical stall

The pair builds a platform nest on a tall tree overlooking a steep valley. The female lays 1 or 2 white eggs, which are blotched in brown and mauve. The young hatch in about 35-40 days and fledge 2 months later.

Conservation Status

The Black Eagle is not considered threatened, but they are uncommon in large areas of their distribution. Shrinking of forested areas due to large-scale extraction has reduced their earlier range.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Black Eagle is around 10,000 individuals. The national population consists of less than 100 breeding pairs in China and around 100-10,000 breeding pairs in Taiwan.

Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, but its numbers are decreasing.

References:
– https://animalia.bio/black-eagle
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_eagle
– https://ebird.org/species/blaeag1
– https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-black-eagle.html