Bird Album
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle
Geranoaetus melanoleucus (Vieillot, 1819)
2.4 kgWeight
The black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) is a bird of prey of the hawk and eagle family (Accipitridae).
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: Ecuador, Chile, Colombia
Where and when it's recorded
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle has been recorded at 207 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 10 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Tambo Cóndor Bird LodgeEcuador947 records
- PNN Sumapaz – Laguna ChisacáColombia833 records
- AntisanaEcuador669 records
More places
- Humedal Lucre-HuacarpayPeru656 records
- Reserva Antisana – flujo de lava, mirador del cóndor, y alrededoresEcuador576 records
- PNN Los Nevados - Centro de Visitantes BrisasColombia569 records
- RN Lomas de LachayPeru557 records
- Reserva YanacochaEcuador479 records
- Parque Natural Aguas de RamónChile426 records
- PN Antisana – pradera de los ibis y alrededoresEcuador400 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) is a bird of prey of the hawk and eagle family (Accipitridae). It lives in open regions of South America. This species is also known as the black buzzard-eagle, the gray buzzard-eagle, or analogously with "eagle" or "eagle-buzzard" replacing "buzzard-eagle", or as the Chilean blue eagle.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle?
The Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle weighs around 2.4 kg.
Where does the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle live?
Its breeding range: South America: Venezuela to southern Chile and southeastern. It is most often recorded in Ecuador, Chile and Colombia.
When is the best time to see the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle as Least Concern.
What does the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 2.4 kg
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 496 mm
- Tail
- 210 mm
- Bill
- 50 mm
- Tarsus
- 98 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
South America: Venezuela to southern Chile and southeastern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Geranoaetus
Other birds in the genus Geranoaetus
White-tailed HawkGeranoaetus albicaudatus
Variable HawkGeranoaetus polyosoma
Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
Scissor-tailed KiteChelictinia riocourii
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
Letter-winged KiteElanus scriptus
African Harrier-HawkPolyboroides typus
Madagascar Harrier-HawkPolyboroides radiatus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Leandro Alvarez. ↗
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