Eagle buzzard

Eagle buzzard IUCN Status

Description

​Description: It measures 62 to 80 cm with a wingspan of 175 to 200 cm and weighs between 1.7 and 3.2 kg. It is also known as the Chilean blue eagle because its morphology is similar to that of eagles.

The adult male has bluish or slate-black upper parts, and sometimes even dark ash brown. The shoulders are ash grey and finely barred with black. The tail is black with a narrow greyish-white terminal band.

On the underparts, the breast is black or dark grey, while the abdomen and thighs are white, finely barred with blackish, but these markings are often indistinct.

The head is slate black with a whitish chin and throat. The hooked beak is greyish black with a yellow cere. The eyes are dark brown. The legs and toes are yellow.

The female has the same plumage but is much larger than the male.

The immature bird is deep brown or blackish and does not have the grey shoulders of the adults. The underparts are white or buff, and the breast is intensely streaked with black, while the abdomen and thighs are barred. It will take several years for it to acquire the plumage of the adults.

Conservation

Some declines have been observed in southern Argentina, due to the use of poisons by farmers. However, this species is not currently threatened.