Black eagle

Black eagle
The wing tip reaches the tail at rest (ssp. perniger)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Ictinaetus
Blyth, 1843
Species:
I. malaiensis
Binomial name
Ictinaetus malaiensis
(Temminck, 1822)
Subspecies
  • I. m. perniger - (Hodgson, 1836)
  • I. m. malaiensis - (Temminck, 1822)
Synonyms
  • Neopus malayensis
  • Ictinaetus malayensis
  • Aquila pernigra

The black eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis) is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and it is the only member of the genus Ictinaetus. It soars over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia, as well as southeastern China, hunting mammals and birds, particularly at their nests. It is easily identified by its widely splayed and long primary "fingers", the characteristic silhouette, slow flight and yellow ceres and legs that contrast with the dark feathers.