The long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) is an African bird of prey characterised by its shaggy crest of feathers.

Breeding may occur at any time of year, depending on food availability; it lays 1 or 2 eggs as is usual for raptors.

The adults are blackish-brown with long, thin feathers growing from the rear of the crown which are held erect to form a crest.

The secondary feathers are black barred with light grey and with broad black tips, the primary feathers and median underwing coverts are white, forming a noticeable white patch on the upper and lower surfaces of the wing which is visible in flight.

[7] Finally, within these home range sizes, the mean distance travelled in a study by Maphalala et al. was about 2 kilometres due to their sit and wait approach discussed in the food section below.

Both sexes build the nest, constructing a stick platform with a bowl-shaped depression in the centre, which is lined with green leaves.

If available, the long-crested eagle will often reuse the nest of another bird, for example, the black sparrowhawk or lizard buzzard.

[6] There are potential competitors for the long-crested eagles nest including black sparrowhawks and Egyptian geese.

Nesting space itself is also competed for by other raptorial species, including black kites, Wahlberg's eagle, jackal buzzards, and African harrier-hawks.

Birds, including owls and the young of other raptors, frogs and lizards, invertebrates and even fish and fruit are also recorded as forming part of its diet.

[5] The long-crested eagle is a "sit and wait" hunter which scans the ground from a perch and swoops on prey with a gliding flight.