branches and a high tree diameter. Their nests are invariably located deep within the forest. Nests are often re-used in subsequent years. Papuan eagle nests are enormous, ranging up to in both height and diameter. Nests are often place over the top of epiphytes and moss. Based on the fact that not more than one nestling nor the remnants of more than one egg have ever been found in a Papuan eagle nest, it is assumed that they lay only a single egg but other details of the egg-laying, incubation, nestling and fledgling process in this species are not known to date. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that they may only be able to breed every other year. Status While there have probably never been high densities of the Papuan eagle, evidence indicates that they are declining rapidly. Two different estimates posited similar total numbers, which put the number of Papuan eagles at between 1,500 and 15,000 individuals, but it is not known if this describes all individuals or merely just the breeding population, but it is certain to be a very rough estimate. It is possible that the entire population is considerably under 10,000 individuals. A number of well-known threats (most shared by similar raptor species) are known, particularly deforestation. There is no evidence that the Papuan eagle is adaptable to opening of forests and the eagles appear to abandon areas especially where logging roads have been cut into the forests. Some hunting occurs for this species' feathers which are used in ceremonies on occasion. These feathers were known to historically be highly prized possessions, although the Papuan eagle may also be shot or otherwise killed out of competition for bushmeat with local people. Evidence suggests that the active killing of Papuan eagles is quite ongoing well into the 21st century, and is probably entirely unsustainable given the already low population size. The Papuan eagle is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. References External links BirdLife Species Factsheet Papuan eagle Birds of New Guinea Papuan eagle