Editing Eagle (section)

==Groups==
Eagles are often informally divided into four groups.{{efn|"There are four major groups of eagles: fish eagles, booted eagles, snake eagles and giant forest eagles."<ref name=aae>{{cite web|last=Stalcup|first=Carolyn|title=All About Eagles|url=http://www.eagles.org/programs/eagle-facts/all-about-eagles.php|publisher=The American Eagle Foundation|access-date=25 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714180316/http://www.eagles.org/programs/eagle-facts/all-about-eagles.php|archive-date=14 July 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}<ref name=rutledge>{{cite web|last1=Rutledge|first1=Hope|title=Eagles of the World|url=http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle6.html|website=American Bald Eagle Information|access-date=11 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140528060325/http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle6.html|archive-date=28 May 2014|df=dmy-all}} from {{cite book|last1=Grambo|first1=Rebecca L.|title=Eagles|url=https://archive.org/details/eagles00gram|url-access=registration|date=1999|publisher=Voyageur Press, Inc.|isbn=9780896583634}}</ref>

The snake eagles are placed in the subfamily [[Circaetinae]]. The fish eagles, booted eagles, and harpy eagles have traditionally been placed in the subfamily [[Buteoninae]] together with the buzzard-hawks (buteonine hawks) and harriers. Some authors may treat these groups as tribes of the Buteoninae; Lerner & Mindell<ref name=LM2005 /> proposed separating the eagle groups into their own subfamilies of [[Accipitridae]].

===Fish eagles===
Sea eagles or fish eagles take fish as a large part of their diets, either fresh or as carrion.

Proposed subfamily Haliaeetinae. Genera: ''[[Haliaeetus]]'', ''[[Icthyophaga]]''.

Some authors include ''Gypohierax angolensis'', the "vulturine fish eagle" (also called the [[palm-nut vulture]]) in this group.<ref name=rutledge /> However, genetic analyses indicate it is related to a grouping of ''Neophron''–''Gypaetus''–''Eutriorchis'' ([[Egyptian vulture]], [[bearded vulture]] (lammergeier), and [[Madagascar serpent eagle]]).<ref name="tol-acciptridae" />

The fish eagles have a close genetic relationship with ''[[Haliastur]]'' and ''[[Milvus]]''; the whole group is only distantly related to the ''Buteo'' group.<ref name="tol-acciptridae" />

Fish eagles exist in every continent throughout the world, except for South America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sea Eagles, Fish Eagles and Fishing Eagles |url=https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/article-fish-eagles-feeding-behaviour.html#:~:text=The%20fish%20eagles%20occur%20throughout,eagle%20also%20occurs%20in%20Australia. |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=www.oiseaux-birds.com}}</ref>

Although fish eagles can be found in many different places around the world, they have been classified as "Near Threatened". Reasons such as overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and the use of pesticides have contributed to the species' rapid population drop.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Moshin |first1=Miron |last2=Sayam |first2=Chowdhury |title=Breeding Density and Habitat Selection of the Grey-Headed Fish-Eagle in Noakhali District, Bangladesh |journal=Journal of Raptor Research |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=134–141 |date=May 9, 2019 |url=https://doi.org/10.3356/JRR-18-33|doi=10.3356/JRR-18-33}}</ref>

===Booted eagles===

The booted eagle is a group of eagle that typically migrates across the Sahara Desert to Europe. It usually reaches Europe around the beginning of March and leaves by the end of September. These types of eagles usually mate with the same partner and return to the same areas years later. Female booted eagles usually lay 1-4 eggs, which promptly hatch after 37 to 40 days. Researchers estimate that there are between 3600 and 6900 pairs of booted eagles in Europe, which are mostly situated in the Iberian Peninsula.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morandini |first1=Virginia |last2=Baumbusch |first2=Ryan |last3=Balbontin |first3=Javier |last4=Ferrer |first4=Miguel |title=Age of the breeders, but not territory quality, explains hatching sex ratio in booted eagles |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |date=May 25, 2020 |volume=51 |issue=8 |pages= |doi=10.1111/jav.02511}}</ref>

[[File:Booted eagle in flight.jpg|thumb|Booted eagle in flight]]

[[Booted eagles]] or "true eagles"<ref name=rutledge /><ref name="oiseaux-booted">{{cite web|last1=Bouglouan|first1=Nicole|title=The booted eagles throughout the world: introduction|url=http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/article-booted-eagles-intro.html|website=Oiseaux-birds|access-date=11 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517040832/http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/article-booted-eagles-intro.html|archive-date=17 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> have feathered tarsi (lower legs).

Tribe Aquililae or proposed subfamily Aquilinae. Genera: ''Aquila'', ''Hieraaetus''; ''Spizaetus'', ''Oroaetus'', ''Spizastur''; ''Nisaetus'';<ref name="tol-acciptridae">{{cite web|last1=Lerner|first1=Heather R. L.|last2=Mindell|first2=David P.|title=Accipitridae|url=http://tolweb.org/Accipitridae/26375/2006.05.09|website=The Tree of Life Web Project|date=9 May 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223171046/http://tolweb.org/Accipitridae/26375/2006.05.09|archive-date=23 December 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Ictinaetus'', ''Lophoaetus''; ''Polemaetus''; and ''Stephanoaetus''.<ref name=rutledge /><ref name="oiseaux-booted" />

See comments under [[#Species|eagle species]] for changes to the composition of these genera.

===Snake eagles===
Most snake or serpent eagles, as the name suggests, primarily prey on snakes.

* Subfamily [[Circaetinae]]. Genera: ''Circaetus'', ''Spilornis'', ''Dryotriorchis'', ''Terathopius''.<ref name=rutledge />
* ''Eutriorchis'' (subfamily Gypaetinae or Circaetinae).

Despite filling the niche of a snake eagle, genetic studies suggest that the [[Madagascar serpent eagle]] (''Eutriorchis'') is not related to them.<ref name="tol-acciptridae" />

Over several decades, a great deal of research has been done on the  Snake-eagle's diet, which is mainly made up of reptiles, especially snakes. When it comes to catching snakes, it is generally accepted that the bird exhibits generalist feeding behavior, which means it does not hunt down specific types of snakes but rather feeds on them depending on their availability in the wild.<ref>{{cite journal |last2=Sampaio |first2=Luís |last1=Onofre |first1=Nuno |title=Feeding Ecology of Short-Toed Snake-Eagle (''Circaetus gallicus'' [Gmelin, 1788]) in the Montados of Iberian Peninsula |url=https://silva-lusitana.edpsciences.org/articles/silu/pdf/2020/02/silu2020282p139.pdf |journal=Silva Lusitana |date=2020 |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=155–179|doi=10.1051/silu/20202802139 }}</ref>

===Harpy eagles===
Harpy eagles<ref name=rutledge /> or "giant forest eagles"<ref name=aae /> are large eagles that inhabit tropical forests. The group contains two to six species, depending on the author. Although these birds occupy similar niches and have traditionally been grouped, they are not all related: the solitary eagles are related to the black hawks and the Philippine eagle to the snake eagles.

* Harpy eagles (proposed subfamily Harpiinae)
** ''Harpia harpyja'', [[harpy eagle]] ― Central and South America.
** ''Morphnus guianensis'', [[crested eagle]] ― Central and South America.
** ''Harpyopsis novaeguineae'', [[Papuan eagle]] ― New Guinea.
* Philippine eagle
** ''Pithecophaga jefferyi'', [[Philippine eagle]] ― Philippines.
* Solitary eagles
** [[Chaco eagle]] or crowned solitary eagle, ''[[Buteogallus]]'' (formerly ''[[Harpyhaliaetus]]'') ''coronatus'' ― South America.
** [[Solitary eagle]] or montane solitary eagle, ''[[Buteogallus]]'' (formerly ''[[Harpyhaliaetus]]'') ''solitarius'' ― South America.