The CRESTED BRAZILIAN EAGLE (_Morphnus Guianensis_) is the species with
which we are most familiar. In length this bird measures twenty-five, in
breadth fifty-seven inches; the wing from fifteen to sixteen, and the
tail from eleven to twelve inches. The long, streaming, and somewhat
owl-like plumage is prolonged at the back of the neck into a crest
six inches long, and varies considerably according to the age of the
specimen. We learn from the Prince von Wied that the head, throat,
breast, belly, rump, and legs are of spotless white, only varied here and
there by a slight yellow shade; the back, shoulders, and wing-covers are
of a pale greyish red, the feathers being spotted and mottled with red;
the quills and tail are blackish brown, edged with a narrow irregular
greyish-red line. Pelzehn considers that the plumage above described
belongs to the young, and tells us that as they increase in age their
feathers become darker. According to this authority, the old birds are
dark brown upon the head and throat, and greenish black upon the whole
of the upper part of the body and breast; the upper tail-covers being
streaked and tipped with white. We must leave it to future naturalists to
decide which of these descriptions is correct.
These Eagles inhabit the whole of South America, frequenting both the
forests near the coast and such fertile spots as are occasionally found
upon the barren steppes; but districts near rivers appear to be their
favourite resorts. According to Schomburghk, they are easily recognisable
by their loud cry, and by the effect of their snowy plumage, which
acquires new beauty by contrast with the deep blue sky under which they
wheel their rapid and varied flight. When about to perch they select the
summit of a lofty tree, and often linger for hours together upon the
same branch, almost motionless, or amusing themselves by playing with
and exhibiting their flowing crests in a variety of positions. We learn
from the Prince von Wied that they subsist principally upon opossums
and monkeys, but will also devour a great variety of small quadrupeds
and birds. The capture of the Crested Brazilian Eagles is attended with
considerable difficulty, and their eyries are almost inaccessible, owing
to the great height of the trees upon which they are built. It would seem
that these birds are by no means inferior to their congeners in courage,
for the Prince von Wied mentions that the specimen he obtained, though it
had been shot through the neck by a large arrow, resisted boldly, both
with beak and claws, when he attempted to take possession of it.