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  Profile

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  In flight

Birds of Prey

Crested Eagle

Morphnus guianensis

• epic
• 76 km/h
• Near Threatened

Pale, long-crested Amazon forest raptor. Hunts mammals, snakes, and lizards in lowland forest. Near Threatened.

Population

1,000–10,000 mature individuals (declining)

Habitat

Humid lowland tropical rainforest canopy, gallery forest strips, and forest ravines/near rivers, sea level to ~600 m (locally to 1,600 m in Andean foothills)

Fun fact

The Crested Eagle is the sole member of its genus, Morphnus, and juveniles are so similar in coloration to young Harpy Eagles that the two are frequently confused in the field.

Range

Neotropics from southern Mexico/Guatemala through Central America and the Amazon basin to Paraguay and northern Argentina, plus Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil

Diet

Arboreal and terrestrial mammals (monkeys, opossums, kinkajous, rodents), large birds (guans, trumpeters), and reptiles/amphibians (snakes, iguanas, frogs)

Size

0.8 m

Wingspan

1.6 m

Lifespan

20 years