Order
Accipitriformes
Family
Accipitridae
Genus
Geranoaetus
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus

Robby M. Brower and Robbie L. Thorson
Version: 1.0 — Published February 8, 2013

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Vocalizations

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle is not very vocal (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001b), except near the nest. Calls given in flight (away from nest sites) are described as a "surprisingly high-pitched (weak for size of bird), broken ku-keéu and a faster, more singing kukukukuku" (Ridgely and Greenfield 2001b), and as "squeaky yelps and a reedy series keh-keh-keh-keh-keh" (Lane, in Schulenberg et al. 2010).

Saggese and Lucca (2001) describe vocalizations from breeding birds. Prior and during copulation, both sexes utter a sharp, repeated, metallic kiak-kiak-kiak. An alarm call, used by both sexes during interspecific agonistic interactions, and also in the presence of humans near the nest, is a repeated, sharp kakakakaka. Contact calls, which primarily are given by the male when members of a pair interact (such as during food exchange, replacement of the parent incubating the eggs, etc.) is uagh, kagh, kuagh. On one occasion an acute, repeated kuik, kuik, kuik was recorded, a vocalization that may be related to cooperative hunting.

Calls of nestlings include an acute fiiiuuuuu, presumed to be a begging call, and that was given when the adults were not present at the nest; and a strong chip-chip, given during hatching or in the presence of humans at the nest.

Additional audio recordings of vocalizations of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle can be heard at Macaulay Library, at xeno-canto, and at Internet Bird Collection.

Nonvocal Sounds

None reported.

Recommended Citation

Brower, R. M. and R. L. Thorson (2013). Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.bcbeag1.01