Conservation Risk Assessment of Eagles: Phase I, Serpent Eagles and Hawk Eagles
Booted Eagle, Photo © Mike McGrady
Review of the conservation status of the booted and serpent eagles.
Large raptors are often species of high conservation concern, and this is particularly true for the serpent
and booted eagle groups. The Eagle Conservation Alliance recognizes this and has initiated a review of
the status and conservation of these eagles.
We considered 61 eagle species in the (current and historical) genera: Eutriorchis, Spilornis, Pithecophaga,
Terathopius, Circaetus, Dryotriorchis, Nisaetus, Stephanoatus, Spizaetus, Hieraaetus, Polemaetus, Lophaetus, Ictinaetus,
and Aquila. Our main aim is to assemble information that will be useful for conservation, and we have
posted our results on a blog site at
http://eagleconservationalliance.org/discussions.
Although we consider many species some generalities can be noted. Many of the most imperilled eagles in these
genera occur on islands in the tropics, especially in south east Asia, many are dependent on forests for nest
sites and for the prey upon which they feed, and as a result many are threatened by destruction of their habitat
(felling of the forest). Although most species have some form of legal protection,
policing and enforcement are often lacking.
Because so little is known or published for many of the species in these groups we are seeking
comment on our blog space from other researchers and conservationists with knowledge of these species, particularly those that
are not well known or for which little is published. After considering the comments made on the blog and incorporating useful
information into our review document we will seek to publish this manuscript in the peer-reviewed literature. You
can also write to Dr. M. McGrady with your input mike.mcgrady@natural-research.org.
