A big, dark, rather mysterious raptor that looks like a huge shadow slipping along mountain valleys. Found from Mexico through Central America into parts of the Andes in South America, it lives mostly in rugged, forested highlands—steep slopes, deep ravines and ridges cloaked in cloud forest or tall pine–oak woodland. Adults are chunky and broad-winged, with sooty to slate-black plumage overall, a short, dark tail with a narrow pale band, and thick yellow legs and cere (the bare skin above the beak).
In good light, you can sometimes see a subtle bluish or greyish sheen to the body. Immature birds look quite different: they’re mottled and blotched in browns, creams and greys, which for years led people to mix them up with young great black hawks or even other large raptors.
True to its name, the solitary eagle is almost always seen alone or as a pair, never in flocks. It tends to soar quietly over ridges and forested slopes, often surprisingly low, holding its broad wings in a shallow “V” and making slow, deep wingbeats. Its silhouette can look a bit like a gigantic common buzzard or a very dark, thick-bodied broad-winged hawk, but the combination of bulk, short tail and heavy wings gives it a distinctive “flying anvil” profile. It also perches in large trees along ravines or near forest edges, sometimes scanning clearings or river courses for prey.
Because it favours broken terrain and forested mountains—and because there simply aren’t many of them—it is easy to miss even in places where it occurs. Many records come from chance sightings by birdwatchers scanning ridges, who get only a brief view before the bird disappears back into the folds of the landscape.
Its diet is still not fully documented, but like other big buteonine raptors, the solitary eagle probably takes a mix of medium-sized mammals, large birds, snakes and other reptiles, and perhaps big frogs. There are observations of birds carrying snakes and reports suggesting they may sometimes raid nests or hunt along rivers where prey is more exposed.
Distribution
Argentina
Belize
Bolivia
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
VenezuelaAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
