Booted Eagle
Booted EagleBooted EagleBooted EagleBooted Eagle

Booted Eagle

Hieraaetus pennatus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

78 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
6,412 In all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Booted Eagle

The booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a small, disjunct breeding population in south-western Africa. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.

The booted eagle was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the eagle, falcons and relatives in the genus Falco and coined the binomial name Falco pennatus. Gmelin based his description on "Le Faucon Patu" or "Falco pedibus pennatis" that had been described and illustrated in 1760 by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. Brisson had examined a specimen in the collection of Madame de Bandeville who was also known as Marie Anne Catherine Bigot de Graveron (1709-1787). The booted eagle is now placed in the genus Hieraaetus that was introduced in 1844 by the German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek hierax meaning "hawk" with aetos meaning "eagle". The specific epithet pennatus is Latin and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:12

Russian Federation · 2024

© Albert Lastukhin · XC1067347 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Alarm call0:06

Spain · 2019

© Daniel Espejo Fraga · XC496383 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:09

Uzbekistan · 2006

© Manuel Schweizer · XC176712 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
2 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
3 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~30%
4 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
5 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
7 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
8 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
9 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
10 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
11 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
12 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
13 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
14 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
15 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
16 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
17 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
18 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
19 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
20 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
21 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
22 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
23 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
24 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
25 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
26 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
27 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
28 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
29 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
30 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
31 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
32 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
33 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
<5%
34 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
35 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
36 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
37 West Coast National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
38 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
39 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
40 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
41 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
42 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
43 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
44 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
45 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
46 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
47 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
48 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
49 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
50 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
51 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
52 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
53 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
54 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
55 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~30%
2 Kanpur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Marrakesh 🇲🇦 Morocco
~30%
4 Mombasa 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
5 Lucknow 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Istanbul 🇹🇷 Turkey
~10%
7 Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 Mongolia
~10%
8 Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
9 Vasai-Virar 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
2 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
3 Espace Rambouillet 🇫🇷 France In captivity
4 African Lion Safari 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
5 حديقة الحيوانات والتسلية برابطية القالة 🇩🇿 Algeria In captivity
6 Zoo La Barben 🇫🇷 France In captivity
7 Almaty Zoo 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan In captivity
8 Marcelle Natureza 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
9 Zoo de Córdoba 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
10 VigoNature 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
11 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
12 Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
13 Centro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre El Valle 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
14 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
15 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
16 Donjon des aigles 🇫🇷 France In captivity
17 Le centre de soins des rapaces Espace Rambouillet 🇫🇷 France In captivity
18 Zoológico La Era de las aves 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Closest Relatives at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

Brahminy Kite
LC

Brahminy Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliastur indus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
White-Bellied Sea-Eagle
LC

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Oriental Honey-buzzard
LC

Oriental Honey-buzzard

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pernis ptilorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Crested Serpent Eagle
LC

Crested Serpent Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Spilornis cheela

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Crested Hawk-Eagle
LC

Crested Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus cirrhatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pied Harrier
LC

Pied Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus melanoleucos

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Western Marsh-Harrier
LC

Western Marsh-Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus aeruginosus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Eastern Marsh-Harrier
LC

Eastern Marsh-Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus spilonotus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Rose-ringed Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Psittacula krameri

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
House Crow
LC

House Crow

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Corvus splendens

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Pearl-necked Dove
LC

Pearl-necked Dove

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spilopelia chinensis

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Booted Eagle in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Booted Eagle sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 78 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 113th most-seen of the 204 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Booted Eagle in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Booted Eagle in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Booted Eagle?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Booted Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] the best place to see a Booted Eagle?

50th of 60

Of the 60 cities where we can rate Booted Eagle sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 50th at under 5%. The best odds are in Algiers (Algeria, about 30%), Kanpur (India, about 30%) and Marrakesh (Morocco, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Booted Eagle live in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Same family: Accipitridae

The closest relatives of the Booted Eagle that you can see in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Brahminy Kite (about 50%), White-Bellied Sea-Eagle (about 10%) and Oriental Honey-buzzard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Booted Eagle sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Booted Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (78 verified sightings), 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.

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