Spizastur Lesson, 1839[verification needed] Oroaetus Des Murs, 1845
Spizaetus is the typical hawk-eagle birds of prey genus found in the tropics of the Americas. It was however used to indicate a group of tropical eagles that included species occurring in southern and southeastern Asia and one representative of this genus in the rainforests of West Africa. The Old World species have been separated into the genus Nisaetus.[2] Several species have a prominent head crest. These are medium to large-sized raptors, most being between 55 and 75 cm (21.5 and 29.5 in) long, and tend to be long-tailed and slender.
The American Ornithologists' Union merges Spizastur into Spizaetus since 2007.[3]
Spizaetus eagles are forest birds with several species having a preference for highland woodlands. They build stick nests in trees. The sexes are similarly plumaged with typical raptor brown upperparts and pale underparts, but young birds are distinguishable from adults, often by a whiter head.
These eagles eat medium-sized vertebrate prey such as mammals, birds and reptiles.
^"Accipitridae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
^Helbig AJ, Kocum A, Seibold I & Braun MJ (2005) A multi-gene phylogeny of aquiline eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) reveals extensive paraphyly at the genus level. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution 35(1):147-164 PDF[permanent dead link]
retained in Spizaetus Old World species now moved to Nisaetus Flores hawk-eagle Nisaetus floris (earlier Spizaetus cirrhatus floris or Spizaetus floris) Mountain...
predator in open areas. Many other eagles, including the species-rich genus Spizaetus, live predominantly in woodlands and forests. These eagles often target...
chestnut in about four, none more striking than the ornate hawk-eagle (Spizaetus ornatus). Roughly half of booted eagle species have a strikingly different...
genus Spizaetus but molecular studies show that the Old World representatives were closer to the genus Ictinaetus than to the New World Spizaetus (in the...
P.L. (1993). Nest Record and Dietary Items for the Black Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus) from the Yucatan Peninsula. Journal of Raptor Research, 27 (2):121–122...
Batesian mimicry is shown by the Asian Pernis species, which resemble the Spizaetus hawk-eagles. It is sometimes seen soaring in thermals. When flying in...
group are all species described as "hawk eagles" including the genera Spizaetus and Nisaetus, as well as assorted monotypical genera such as Oroaetus...
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