status It is found humid montane forests, normally at elevations between , in the Andes from northern Argentina, through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, to Venezuela, with isolated populations in the Venezuelan Coastal Range, Serranía del Perijá and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It is generally local and rare. Widespread cutting of primary forest in foothills throughout the Andes is the primary cause of the precipitous decline of this species. Deforestation in the forests of the Andes is rampant as in much of the tropics. There may be only 370–1500 individuals of black-and-chestnut eagles left in the wild (and 250–999 mature individuals), fewer than previously thought. It is one of the most endangered birds of prey in the Americas. Further exacerbating the species' conservation issues are its continued persecution as a killer of domestic fowl. References "Raptors of the World" by Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead & Burton. Houghton Mifflin (2001), . black-and-chestnut eagle Birds of the Northern Andes black-and-chestnut eagle Taxonomy articles created by Polbot