Spizaetus fossil map
Where fossils of Spizaetus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 4.7 million years ago to the present (Zanclean to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Named by | Vieillot 1816 |
| Fossil records | 14 occurrences at 8 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, Malaysia, Mexico |
| Rock formations | txn:39323, Tamiami, Becerra |
About Spizaetus
Spizaetus is the typical hawk-eagle birds of prey genus found in the tropics of the Americas. It was however used to indicate a group of tropical eagles that included species occurring in southern and southeastern Asia and one representative of this genus in the rainforests of West Africa. The Old World species have been separated into the genus Nisaetus. Several species have a prominent head crest. These are medium to large-sized raptors, most being between 55 and 75 cm (21.5 and 29.5 in) long, and tend to be long-tailed and slender.
The American Ornithologists' Union merges Spizastur into Spizaetus since 2007.
The name Spizaetus comes from the ancient Greek words spizias 'hawk' and aetos 'eagle'.
Spizaetus eagles are forest birds with several species having a preference for highland woodlands. They build stick nests in trees. The sexes are similarly plumaged with typical raptor brown upperparts and pale underparts, but young birds are distinguishable from adults, often by a whiter head.
These eagles eat medium-sized vertebrate prey such as mammals, birds and reptiles.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Spizaetus (revision 1379761033), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q254660.
