Al igual que otras águilas pitecófagas, como la harpía o el águila coronada, está adaptada para matar a su presa instantáneamente atravesándo órganos vitales con las garras o incluso triturando el cráneo, para evitar que el primate tenga tiempo de usar sus manos para defenderse.
Like other monkey hunting eagles- like the harpy or the African crowned eagle- it is well equipped to kill its prey instantly by piercing vital organs with its powerful claws or even crushing their skull; this is so that the primate will have no time to defend itself with its grasping hands.