Black Eagle (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)

Context: A rare black eagle has been spotted for the first time in the Chail wildlife sanctuary located in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district. 

About Black Eagle

• Belonging to the family Accipitridae, it stands alone as the sole representative of the genus Ictinaetus.
• Features: They can grow up to 81 cm. It has a grey-yellow beak with a black tip and yellow feet.
• Gliding gracefully, they traverse the forests in the elevated terrains of tropical and subtropical regions in South and Southeast Asia, along with southeastern China.
• Distribution: They can be spotted in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & and Kashmir, as well as within the forests of the Eastern and Western Ghats in peninsular India.
• IUCN Status: Least concern

About Chail Wildlife Sanctuary

Location: Chail, Himachal Pradesh. 

• It forms a portion of the watershed of a Giri River tributary.
• Flora: Oak and Pine trees, as well as grasslands.
• Fauna: wild boar, goral, sambar, spotted deer, Himalayan black bear, common langur, Indian porcupine, flying squirrel, and more.