The eagle (scientific name: hierococcyx sparverioides) resembles a pigeon, but is slightly slender. The mouth is strong, and the mouth peak is slightly curved downwards. The wings have 10 primary flight feathers. The tail is long and broad, convex, with 8 to 10 tail feathers. The feet are short and weak, with 4 toes, and the 1st and 4th toes are backwards, and the toes are not compatible. The male and female are generally similar in appearance , and the young have different plumage than adult birds.
There is a nest parasitic habit, do not nest their own nests, parasitize magpies and other birds nest to lay eggs, eggs and the appearance of the host egg is similar, after hatching the chicks will kill the host chicks, by the host to feed to maturity. It generally inhabits mountain forests, mountainside plains, and is often in plain areas in winter and is limited to tree activities.
It is found in India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Taiwan Island, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Hainan and other places.
Morphological characteristics
The head and side of the neck are grey, and the eyes are nearly white. The upper body and wings are pale greyish brown on the surface, and the caudal coverts are darker, with broad sub-terminal spots and narrow nearly grayish-white or brownish-white end spots. The tail is grayish brown with five dark brown and three pale grayish brown bands, and the base of the tail is also hidden under the covert feathers, which are often white and often alone, with color band spots, and the inside of the primary flight feathers have multiple white transverse spots. The chin is dark grey to nearly black with a grayish-white beard. The rest of the underbody is white. The throat and chest have maroon and dark grey longitudinal stripes, and the lower chest and abdomen have broad dark brown transverse spots.
The upperparts of the juveniles are brown with slightly brown transverse spots, and the lowerparts are all pale brownish yellow except for the chin, which is black. Each feather has a wide black longitudinal stripe or spot in the center, often a wide transverse spot on the thorax, and thick black transverse spots on the two sides and covered legs.
The iris is yellow to orange, the juveniles are brown, the eyelids are orange, and the beak is dark brown. The lower end of the mouth and the pout are palely horned green, and the feet are orange to horn yellow.
Size measurement: weight ♂135-168g, ♀130-160g; body length ♂353-405mm, ♀363-415mm; mouth peak ♂22-27mm, ♀24-28mm; wings ♂222-246mm, ♀221-236mm; tail ♂202-245mm, ♀190-230mm; tarsus ♂23-27mm, ♀24-27mm.
Habitat
It is mostly found in mountain forests, up to 1600 meters above sea level, and often reaches the plains in winter. It is hidden in clusters of tree leaves and can be heard during the day or at night.
Habits of life
It is often alone, and is often hidden between the branches and leaves at the top of the tree. Or shuttle between sub-trunks from one tree to another. Fly quickly and then glide again. The flight posture is very similar to that of a sparrowhawk. The sound is crisp and loud, for three syllables, and its sound is like a noble yang, a noble yang. Its call can be heard almost all day long during breeding. It feeds mainly on insects , especially Lepidoptera larvae , locusts , ants and Coleoptera .
Distribution range
It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. Traveling Bird: Pakistan, Singapore.
China is a summer migratory bird from liaoning south through the Qinling Mountains to Sichuan and southern Tibet, and a resident bird in Yunnan and Hainan. Occasionally found in Taiwan.
Breeding methods
The breeding period is from April to July, and you do not nest on your own. Eggs are often laid in the nests of hook-billed grebe, magpies and other birds. Lays 1-2 eggs, olive-gray with fine brown spots. The eggs are 19×26 mm in size and weigh 4.6 g.
Population status
The species has a wide distribution range, is not close to the fragile endangered threshold standard for the survival of the species (distribution area or fluctuation range is less than 20,000 square kilometers, habitat quality, population size, distribution area fragmentation), the population trend is stable, so it is evaluated as a species without survival crisis.