The order Accipitriformes contains the diurnal (active during the day) birds of prey: hawks, goshawks, eagles, kites, vultures, ospreys, secretary birds. These birds have sometimes been considered part of the Falconiformes which contains the falcons, but DNA evidence indicates the orders should be separate.

The Accipitridae family contains the hawks, goshawks, eagles, kites, Old World vultures. Subfamilies are often used to group related species, but the subfamiles for much of Accipitridae are in flux. They will be used here if there is agreement for their members.

This page contains typical eagles, buzzard-eagles, fish-eagles, hawk-eagles, snake-eagels, solitary eagles



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Genus Aquila

Eagle, Booted Aquila pennata   Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by:1) Lip Kee Yap  2) Chandima Gunadasa - Sri Lanka


Eagle, Golden Aquila chrysaetos   Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Hawaii
Photographed by: 1, 3) Dick Daniels - Carolina Raptor Center    2) Dick - Jungle Island of Miami   4) J. Glover of Atlanta, Georgia


Eagle, Greater-spotted  Aquila clanga  Found: Europe, Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2) JM Garg - India


Eagle, Lesser Spotted  Aquila pomarina   Found: Europe
Photographed by: 1) Dragus - Birdpark Marlow


Eagle, Steppe Aquila nipalensis   Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by: 1) 4028mdk09  2) Lilly M - Kadzidlowo, Poland   3) Arno Meintjes
    4, 5) Dick Daniels - World of Birds, South Africa   



Eagle, Tawny Aquila rapax   Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
Photographed by:  1, 2, 3) Arno Meintjes  4, 5) Dick Daniels - Tanzania
1) Juvenile



Eagle, Verreaux's  aka (African) Black Eagle  Aquila verreauxii  Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3) Dick Daniels - Eagle Encounters in South Africa    4) Steve Garvie


Eagle, Wahlberg's Aquila wahlbergi  Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Doug Newman - Kruger National Park, South Africa  2) Ian White  3) Darren Bellerby - Maasai Mara, Kenya


Eagle, Wedge-tailed Aquila audax   Found: Australia
Photographed by:  1) David Cook - Kilcowera Station, via Thargomindah, Queensland 
    2) Dick Daniels - Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia 3) Thomas Schoch
1) Male



Genus Geranoaetus - 1 species
Buzzard-eagles

Eagle, Black Buzzard- aka Black-chested Buzzard-eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus  Found: South America
Photographed by:  1) Caronna   2) Turelio - falconry centre Hellenthal, Germany 



Genus Haliaeetus
Fish eagles, also know as sea eagles.

Haliaeetus vocifer   Found: Africa
hotographed by: 1, 3) AngMoKio   2) Dick Daniels - Tanzania


Eagle, Bald Haliaeetus leucocephalus   Found: North America
Photographed by: 1) Dick Daniels -Anchorage Zoo, Alaska    2) Dick - Brookfield Gardens, South Carolina   3) Ted Grussing  
    4, 7) Dick - Homer, Alaska  5) Dick - Carolina Raptor Center   6) Dick - Wyoming
5) Young adult  6, 7) Juvenile



Eagle, Madagascar Fish-  Haliaeetus vociferoides  Found: Madagascar
Photographed by: Frank Vassen - Madagascar



Eagle, Pallas's Sea aka Pallas's Fish-Eagle  Haliaeetus leucoryphus  Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2) Lip Kee Yap - Kazaringa, Assam, India


Eagle, Steller's Sea  Haliaeetus pelagicus  Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1)  Dmitry Valberg   2) Jorg Hempel 


Eagle, White-bellied Sea Haliaeetus leucogaster Found: Asia, Australia
Photographed by:  1) MagicFluet1983  2) Dick Daniels - Featherdale Wildlife Park, Australia  
    3) David Cook - Eden, NSW, Australia


Eagle, White-tailed  Haliaeetus albicilla  Found: Europe, Asia
Photographer: 1) Jorg Hempel 



Genus Nisaetus

Old World Hawk-eagles. They are slender bodied, medium sized hawk-eagles with rounded wings, long feathered legs, barred wings, crests and usually adapted to forest habitats. [Wikipedia]

Eagle, Changeable Hawk- aka Crested Hawk-eagle  Nisaetus cirrhatus  Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1) MyLittleFinger- India  OpenCage Osaka Tennouji Zoo, Osaka, Japan  2) Preveen  - Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka.
  3) W.A. Djatmiko - Banten, West Java, Indonesia


Eagle, Mountain Hawk-  Nisaetus nipalensis  Found: Asia
Photographed by:   Lip Kee Yap - Malaysia


Eagle, Philippine Hawk-  Nisaetus philippensis  Endemic to the Philippines:
Photographed by: Chris Angelo Perez


Eagle, Sulawesi Hawk-  Nisaetus lanceolatus  Found: Indonesia
Photographed by: Lip Kee Yap - Indonesia



Genus Stephanoaetus

Eagle, Crowned Hawk- aka Crowned Eagle  Stephanoaetus coronatus  Found: Africa
Photographed by: N Myburg



Genus Spizaetus

New World Hawk-eagles. They are forest birds with several species having a preference for highland woodlands. They build stick nests in trees. The sexes are similarly plumaged with typical raptor brown upperparts and pale underparts, but young birds are distinguishable from adults, often by a whiter head. [wikipedia]

Eagle, Black Hawk-  Spizaetus tyrannus  Found: South America
Photographed by: Tom Friedel in rehabilitaiton, Puerto Iguazu, Argentina


Eagle, Black-and-white Hawk-  Spizaetus melanoleucus  Found: South America
Photographed by: 1, 2) Mateus Hidalgo 


Eagle, Black and chestnut   Spizaetus isidori  Found: South America
Photographed by: Tom Friedel



Genus Circaetus
Snake-eagles

Eagle, Black-chested Snake-  Circaetus pectorali  Found: southern Africa
Photograped by: 1) Gaurav Pandit near Lake Manyara, Tanzania  2) Brian Ralphs  3) Arno Meintjes 4) Carol Foil - Tanzania


Eagle, Brown Snake-  Circaetus cinereus  Found: Africa 
Photographed by:  1) Aviceda  - Murchison Falls NP, Uganda  2) Arno Meintjes


Eagle, Short-toed  Circaetus gallicus  Found: Europe, Asia
Photographed by: 1) Orchi  2) Mario M



Genus Spilornis
Serpent eagles

Eagle, Crested Serpent-  Spilornis cheela  Found: Asia
Photographed by: 1) peellden  2) prashanthns  3) J M Garg - Faridabad District of Haryana, India



Genus Harpyhaliaetus
Solitary eagles

Eagle, Crowned Solitary  Harpyhaliaetus coronatus  Found: South America
Photographed by: 1) Mateus Hidalgo  2, 3) Nori Almeida


Eagle, Solitary  Harpyhaliaetus solitarius  Found: South America
Photographed by: Tom Friedel




Genus Harpia - 1 species

Eagle, Harpy  Harpia harpyja   Found: Central and South America
Photographed by: 1) Tom Friedel  2) Charlie Westerinen - Miami Zoo



Genus Lophaetus - 1 species

Lophaetus occipitalis   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Arno Meintjes  2) Carol Foil - Kenya  3) D Gordon Robertson - Tanzania   4) Dick Daniels - Tanzania



Genus Pithecophaga - 1 species

Eagle, Phlippine  Found: The Philippines
Photographed by: 1) Harrybalais - The Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos, Baguio District, Davao City, Philippine 
    2) scorpious18



Genus Polemaetus - 1 species

Eagle, Martial Polemaetus bellicosus   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3)  Arno Meintjes   4, 5) Dick Daniels - Eagle Encounters in South Africa  6) Dick - World of Birds in South Africa
    7) Dick Daniels - Tanzania  
1,2) Juvenile




Genus Terathopius - 1 species

Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1, 2) Arno Meintjes   3) Dick - Tanzania








Genus Pandion - 1 species

Osprey Pandion haliaetus   Found: all continents except Antarctica
Photographed by Dick Daniels in: 1) Florida  2, 3, 4) North Carolina





This family has only one specied of bird.

Secretary Bird Sagittarius serpentarius   Found: Africa
Photographed by: 1) Carol Foil -Rift Valley, Kenya  2) Brian Ralphs   3) DIck Daniels - Tanzania