Harpyhaliaetus solitarius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The solitary eagle or montane solitary eagle (Buteogallus solitarius) is a large Neotropical eagle. It is also known as the black solitary eagle. The solitary eagle is native to Mexico and Central and South America. It is found in mountainous or hilly forests, at elevations between 600 m and 2,200 m. The frequent reports from lowlands are usually misidentifications of another species, usually the common black hawk or great black hawk; no reports from lowlands have been confirmed. It is rare that in all areas of its range and poorly known. Very little is known about its diet, other than that it appears to have often been predating large snakes and one adult pair was seen hunting deer fawns. The remains of a chachalaca were noted in one nest.
The adult solitary eagle is uniformly dark gray, often appearing black, with white markings on the tail. It is 63 to 79 cm (25 to 31 in) and has a 152 to 188 cm (5 ft 0 in to 6 ft 2 in) wingspan. With a body mass of approximately 3 kg (6.6 lb), it appears to rival its similarly-weighted sister species, the Chaco eagle, as one of the larger living members of the Buteoninae subfamily, although the black... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africam Safari | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Solitary Eagle sighting in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 395th most-seen of the 424 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Solitary Eagle in Los Nevados National Natural Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Solitary Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Solitary Eagle sightings, Los Nevados National Natural Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manu National Park (Peru, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Solitary Eagle that you can see in Los Nevados National Natural Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle (about 20%), Roadside Hawk (about 10%) and Broad-winged Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Solitary Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Nevados National Natural Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
