Long-Crested+Eagle

The long-crested eagle is a raptor (birds that hunt other animals) native to southern Africa. The long-crested eagle is in the Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Accipitriformes, Family: Accipitridae, Genus: Lophaetus. Their binomial name is Lophaetus Occipitalis. This binomial name was given by François Marie Daudin in 1800. The long-crested eagle is a raptor. A raptor or bird of prey, is a bird that hunts other animals. The long-crested eagle hunts mostly rodents, but can also eat small birds, lizards and fruit. They hunt by catching the food off the ground and swallowing the prey whole.

The long-crested eagle lives in wooded areas near wet areas, such as marshes. You can also find them in and around exotic tree plantations. Usually they are below 2,000 meters above sea level, but have been seen as high as 3,000 meters above sea level. They range east and west from Senegal to Ethiopia, and south to South Africa.

Mating season is all year round for the long-crested eagle. Mating rituals consist of steep dives and calling. Nests are built with sticks in trees near wooded areas. Nests are located 7-45 meters (7.65529-49.2126 Yards) above the ground. After mating, the female can lay 1-2 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 42 days. If two eggs are laid, there can be a 15-day period between the hatching of both eggs. Fledging takes up to 58 days, but can be done as early as 53 days. The population of The long-crested eagle is threatened by collision with various objects and loss of habitat. But because they control the rat population, they are mostly left alone by humans. The long-crested eagle is classified into the LC (Least Concern) category on the conservation list published by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).