farther to find their meals as the chicks grow and can fend for themselves. There are potential competitors for the long-crested eagles nest including black sparrow hawks and Egyptian geese. Nesting space itself is also competed for by other raptorial species, including black kites, Wahlberg's eagles, jackal buzzards, and African harrier-hawks. Food Up to 98% of the diet of the long-crested eagle consists of rodents. In southern Africa the rodents taken included greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus), vlei rats Otomys spp., African marsh rat (Dasmys incomtus) and four-striped grass mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio). Birds, including owls and the young of other raptors, frogs and lizards, invertebrates and even fish and fruit were also recorded as forming part of the diet of this species. The long-crested eagle is a "sit and wait" hunter which waits on a perch, scanning the ground and swoops on prey with a gliding flight when it come to the bird's notice. Taxonomic notes Although currently placed in the monotypic genus Lophaetus recent research has suggested that this species forms a clade with the spotted eagles, greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata) and lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina). The merged genus would be called Lophaetus but most authorities regard that further work on the classification of the booted eagles is required and retain the long-crested eagle in the monotypic Lophaetus. The lineage of Lophaetus is thought to have diversified in a period between 5 to 7 million years ago. C Conservation The population is estimated to be in the tens of thousands with an increasing population trend. New areas of suitable habitat are being made for rodents due to habitat fragmentation and thus their food source is increasing which as a result is expected to cause an upward population trend in the long-crested eagle. Although the long-crested eagle is listed as least concern according to the IUCN Red List, the species still encounters threats. These include habitat fragmentation and loss, poisoning, and accidents with power lines or vehicles. A more recent threat to the long-crested eagle is the high abundance of doves which contain trichomoniasis or canker. Predation of the doves by these eagles is becoming increasingly common, passing on the infection and causing major damage to the crop, pharynx, and mouth. Therefore, humans feeding doves leads to increase in dove populations and thus more disease spread to eagles. References External links Long-crested eagle