Rufous-bellied eagle

Description

The rufous-bellied eagle or rufous-bellied hawk-eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is found in the forested regions of tropical Asia.Relatively small for eagles and contrastingly patterned like a falcon,this species was earlier placed in the genus Hieraaetus and sometimes also in the genus Aquila but thought to be distinctive enough to belong to a separate genus.Adult rufous-bellied eagles are distinctive in their pattern.They have a black hood with a short crest.Chestnut underparts and wing coverts contrast with the white on the throat and breast.The sexes are almost indistinguishable in plumage but females are slightly larger and have more black on the face.They perch in a very upright stance and the wingtip almost reaches the tail.The tarsus is fully feathered.Juveniles have very white underparts with dark markings on the sides of the body,head mask and edge of underwing coverts.They can appear similar to a booted eagle (Aquila pennata).In flight,the underwing lining is dark and the greater coverts are black.The flight feathers are thinly barred with a black edge.The tail is dark and barred.