Black Eagle

This was the only Black Eagle Ictinaetus malaiensis which we saw on the tour. It was very distant and the light was not great but the photo shows some of the key identification features of this adult bird: long broad wings narrower at the base; pronounced fingers; long broad square ended tail with narrow pale bands; colour blackish; striking yellow feet. It is usually seen in flight.

Black Eagle is found in broad leaved forest and nearby open areas up to over 3,000 metres. Its range includes the Himalayas, hills of peninsular India including the Western Ghats, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay peninsula, southern China and Taiwan.

References: Craig Robson (2010) Birds of south-east Asia, p 136, New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd and Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp (1998) Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, p 539, Christopher Helm (Publishers) Ltd.