Spizaetus ornatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The ornate hawk-eagle (Spizaetus ornatus) is a bird of prey from the tropical Americas. Formerly, some authorities referred to this species as the crested hawk-eagle, a name that may cause some confusion as it is more commonly used for an Asian eagle species. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. This species has a feathered tarsus that marks it as a member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. This species is notable for the vivid colors and bold markings of adults, which differ considerably from the far more whitish plumage of the juvenile bird. The ornate hawk-eagle ranges from central Mexico south through much of Central America and in a somewhat spotty but broad overall range into South America, including in the west apart from the Andes and broadly on the Atlantic side especially Brazil down to as far as Southeast Brazil and northern Argentina. This species is found largely in primary forests with tall trees, although can be found in many forest types.
The ornate hawk-eagle female lays almost always a single egg and the species has a fairly prolonged breeding cycle like many tropical raptors, especially due to a lengthy post-fledging stage on which juveniles are dependent on their parents. It is a diversified and exceptionally powerful predator which takes a range of prey, usually various medium-to-large-sized birds and small-to-medium-sized mammals as well as occasional reptiles. Like many forest-dependent raptors, especially those in the tropical and subtropical regions, this species is likely under the pressing threat of deforestation. The decline of forest habitat in this species range, especially the Amazon rainforest, led the IUCN to uplist the ornate hawk-eagle as Near Threatened in 2016. Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belize Zoo | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 2 | São Paulo Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoológico do CIGS | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Zoo Park da Montanha | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | GüiráOga | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 8 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 10 | Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 12 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Hawk-Eagle sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 985 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 178th most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and October–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ornate Hawk-Eagle in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ornate Hawk-Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 31 parks where we can rate Ornate Hawk-Eagle sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Darién National Park (Panama, about 10%), Volcán Barú National Park (Panama, about 10%) and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ornate Hawk-Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (985 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
