Pygmy Eagle

The pygmy eagle or New Guinea hawk-eagle (Hieraaetus weiskei) is a bird of prey found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are primarily subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It was the smallest species of eagle. The pygmy eagle shares many characteristics with its counterpart the little eagle. The most notable differences are color. The pygmy eagle has darker more pronounced streaks on the nape, crown and ventral. The bird also shares characteristics with the booted eagle, both eagles have a unique underwing pattern. The plumage of the pygmy eagle can vary depending on the morph, light or dark. The dark morph is very similar to the dark morph of the little eagle, while the light morph shows the most differences that occur in the dark streaking. The dark morph seems to be rarer as 10 out of 11 field sightings have been the light morph. The feet of the eagle are described as grey or dull yellow.