They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South and Southeast Asia, as well as southeastern China.

They are easily identified by their widely splayed and long primary "fingers", the characteristic silhouette, slow flight and yellow ceres and legs that contrast with their dark feathers.

Seen on hot afternoons, scouring the treetops for a nest to maraud, this bird is easily spotted by its jet black colour, large size, and a characteristic slow flight, sometimes just above the canopy.

Race perniger (Hodgson, 1836) is found in the Himalayan foothills west through Nepal into the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, and in the forests of the Eastern and Western Ghats in peninsular India and Sri Lanka.

[14] The nominate race malaiensis (Temminck, 1822) is found in Myanmar, Bangladesh, southern China (Yunnan, Fujian) and Taiwan, into Southeast Asia.

[16] Black eagles have been regularly observed in the skies of Bangladesh, where they are known to breed and thrive, particularly in the hilly and forested regions of the country.

Their presence is most prominent in the southeastern and northeastern areas, where the terrain is characterized by dense forests and rolling hills.

[25][24] Along with swallow-tailed kites they share the unique habit of carrying away an entire nest with nestlings to a feeding perch.