Creasted Eagle

The Creasted Eagle (Morphnus guianensis) is a large, broad and round winged, long tailed eagle. It has a full pointed crest. Dwells from N Guatemala to Bolivia, NE Argentina and SE Brazil.

81cm (32”), 3kg. Bill and feet small. Variable. Above slate-black to brownish-black; wing coverts may be scaled with whitish; wings and tail bellow light gray, boldly banded with black. Pale phase: crest black; head, neck and chest pale grayish; rest of underparts white barred with cinnamon to pale rufous. Dark phase: head, neck and chest gray to barred with blackish, or entirely blackish. Iris brown; cere and lore blackish, feet yellow. Young ones are mostly white; mantle gray mottled with blackish; narrower black bands in below flight feathers than an adult.