Chaco Eagle Buteogallus coronatus Scientific name definitions

ChacoEagle is a very large, gray raptor of open habitats in south central South America. It is gray overall, with a black tail with a single broad white band, and a yellow cere and legs. It resembles the closely related Solitary Eagle (B. solitarius) of Central America and the Andes, but is paler, larger, and has a small crest. Chaco Eagle ranges from eastern Brazil and Bolivia south to central Argentina in caatinga, pampas, cerrado, and chaco. It feeds in part on small to medium-sized mammals, including armadillos (Dasypodidae) and skunks (Conepatus spp.), hunting from a low perch, particularly near dawn or dusk. The nest of Chaco Eagle is a large platform of sticks. This species formerly was known as "Crowned Eagle", a name that often is applied as well to a species from Africa (Stephanoaetus coronatus); the name Chaco Eagle for the South American species reduces the risk of confusion between these two very different species, and highlights one of the principal habitats occupied by Chaco Eagle.