Rufous-bellied Eagle

The rufous-bellied eagle is a small eagle, patterned as contrastingly as a falcon. Adults have a black hood with a short crest, a white throat and breast, and chestnut underparts and underwing coverts. The sexes are almost identical, but females are slightly larger with more black on the face. It perches very upright, with the wing-tips almost reaching the tail, and its legs are fully feathered. Juveniles are very white below with dark marks on the flanks and head, and can resemble a booted eagle. In flight the dark underwing lining and thinly barred flight feathers show (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives mainly in hill forest and is usually seen soaring high over the canopy, diving to catch birds and mammals in the air, in the treetops or on the forest floor; prey as large as junglefowl and pheasants has been recorded. It was formerly placed in Hieraaetus or Aquila but is now given its own genus (Wikipedia, general species account).