An aerial "warrior" with a "phoenix head" but wearing a "diaper"?

The bird of prey in diapers: the crested eagle

Recently, I was attracted by a piece of news, "What do you think of the desperate courtship methods of animals?" The protagonist is the "crested" auk. Facing the sudden attack of the Arctic fox, it put its hands behind its back, not knowing what its opponent was, and boldly stood on the high platform to sing loudly, releasing "orange perfume", attracting a large number of admirers. It's a pity that such an interesting bird does not live in China, but there are still many birds with "phoenix heads" in my country, such as the crested grebe, the crested lark, and the crested eagle that I will focus on next. When you hear the word "phoenix head", do you have the same question as me? Is it a bird with a head like a phoenix? The reason is that it was discovered that its feather crown hairstyle that even Tony envied gave it such a beautiful name.

In nature, many birds are named after the crests on their heads. The crested eagle is known as the killer in the jungle. Because it lives in dense jungles for a long time and has many natural enemies, it has to stay nervous at all times, which makes it introverted and shy. So will it court like the crested auk? How does it win the favor of its admirers? According to observations by outdoor photography enthusiasts, when the crested eagle courts, the male usually sings, while the female stays not far away and quietly combs her feathers. This may be related to its alert and sensitive personality.

"Quiet as a virgin, quick as a rabbit", the crested eagle has a prominent black central stripe on its white neck, and paired with a brown and white leopard print shirt, it looks like a gentleman wearing a slim black tie. During the day, it quietly hides in the dense jungle, and when prey approaches, it sprints quickly. Its short and round wings can well avoid the influence of dense branches on its speed, and with its sharp claws, it can kill its prey with one blow.

The Crested Owl is mainly distributed in southern China, Southeast Asia and South Asia, but in recent years it has tended to expand northwards and can also be seen in the Qinling Mountains. If you are lucky enough to see it flying over your head, it has a small, pointed hooked beak, a prominent slender tie on its neck, and fluffy white feathers like cotton under the miniskirt of its tail, as if it is "wearing diapers". However, unlike humans, the "diapers" of adult Crested Owls are more obvious than those of young birds.

Crested Eagle Profile:

Crested Goshawk

Scientific name: Accipiter trivirgatus

Visibility: Occasionally

Location: Solitary in the eastern woodlands of the ex situ reserve

Protection level: National II

Figure 1: The immature Crested Eagle shows signs of being in a diaper

Figure 1: This crested eagle has a more obvious "crested head"