The Black eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis) is a large majestic bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus Ictinaetus. Black eagles are easily identified by their characteristic silhouette. Due to their ability to remain aloft for long periods with minimal effort, the Lepcha people of India's Darjeeling district described them as birds that never sat down, while the Soliga people's name (Kaana Kattale ) recalls their black color and their presence in relatively forested areas.
Adult Black eagles have all-black plumage, with a yellow bill base (cere) and feet. The wings are long and pinched in at the innermost primaries giving a distinctive shape. The tail shows faint barring and the upper tail covers are paler. When perched the wing tips reach till or exceed the tail tip. The wings are held in a shallow V (wings just above the horizontal plane) in flight. This bird is easily spotted by its jet-black color, large size, and characteristic slow flight, sometimes just above the canopy. Sexes are similar, but young birds have buff heads, underparts, and underwing coverts. The tarsi are fully feathered and the toes are relatively stout and short with long claws (particularly on the inner toe) that are less strongly curved than in other birds of prey.
Black eagles breed in tropical and subtropical Asia. Race perniger is found in the Himalayan foothills west through Nepal into the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and in the forests of the Eastern and Western Ghats in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The bird's westernmost extent is from Gujarat, especially in the forested areas in southern and eastern Gujarat. Black eagles are also found in the Aravalli range of northwestern India. The nominate race malaiensis is found in Burma, southern China (Yunnan, Fujian) and Taiwan, into Southeast Asia. They are generally residents and favor forests in mountainous areas with good forest cover.
Black eagles spend their time soaring over forests in the hilly regions. They are seen on hot afternoons, scouring the treetops for a nest to maraud. They are prolific nest-predators and are known for their slow flight just over the canopy. The curved claws and wide gape allow them to pick up eggs of birds from nests as well as swiftlets from caves. Along with Swallow-tailed kites they share the unique habit of carrying away an entire nest with nestlings to a feeding perch. Squirrels, macaques, and many species of birds emit alarm calls when Black eagles are spotted soaring over the forest. These birds are usually silent except when breeding. During courtship displays, they emit piercing ‘kheeee kheeee kheeee…’.
Black eagles are carnivores. They eat small mammals like bats, squirrels, monkeys, reptiles, birds, and eggs.
Black eagles are monogamous and form pairs. They nest between January and April and the nest site may be reused year after year. With the start of the breeding season, Black eagles perform spectacular courtship display which involves steep dives with folded wings with swoops up in a U shape into a vertical stall. The pair builds a platform nest on a tall tree overlooking a steep valley. The female lays 1 or 2 white eggs which are blotched in brown and mauve. The young hatches in about 35-40 days and fledges 2 months later.
Black eagles are not considered threatened but they are uncommon in large areas in their distribution. Shrinking of forested areas due to large-scale extraction has reduced their earlier range.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Black eagle is around 10,000 individuals. The national population consists of less than 100 breeding pairs in China and around 100-10,000 breeding pairs in Taiwan. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
