©Byron Towles
April 29, 2025
A Bird of Beauty
- as seen by -
Byron Towles
About the size of our own native red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), the ornate hawk-eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) is a Neotropical rainforest resident of Central and South America.
The hawk-eagle’s exquisite plumage of black, white, and sienna includes ebony crest feathers on the top of its head that can be flattened or raised when excited. The predatory raptor’s coloration helps it blend into the surrounding forest where it can take prey nearly twice its weight as it swoops and dives for birds, mammals, lizards, and snakes.
Threats to the ornate hawk-eagle include habitat loss due to deforestation and other human pressures.
Canon EOS 7D with EF 300mm f/4L lens + EF 1.4x extender
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