Aquila hastata
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata) is a large bird of prey native to the Indian subcontinent. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The typical eagles are often united with the buteos, sea eagles and other more heavy-set Accipitridae, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks.
The Indian spotted eagle is about 60 cm (24 in) in length and has a wingspan of 150 cm (59 in). It is broad-headed, with the widest mouth of all spotted eagles. This species is a lighter overall compared to its relatives, with a darker iris that makes the eyes appear darker than the plumage (rather than the other way around as in the two northern spotted eagle species). Adults can be told apart from the greater spotted eagle by its lighter colour, darker eyes, and habitat preference. After about three or four months the young birds are glossy brown with the tips of the head and neck feathers being creamy and giving a spotted appearance. The upper tail coverts are light brown with white giving a barred appearance. The median coverts have large creamy spots. After about eighteen months the bird moults and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 4 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vasai-Virar | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Varanasi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kolkata | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Lucknow | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Mumbai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Kalyan-Dombivli | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Mysuru | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Chennai | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | New Delhi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Bengaluru | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Spotted Eagle sighting in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, based on 87 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 184th most-seen of the 323 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Spotted Eagle in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May and August–October, the lowest months. Those are among Kaziranga National Park's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 520 mm in June. June and July have too few records to rate.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Spotted Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Indian Spotted Eagle sightings, Kaziranga National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Keoladeo National Park (India, about 30%).
Same genus: Aquila
The closest relatives of the Indian Spotted Eagle that you can see in Kaziranga National Park (genus Aquila, True Eagles) are Greater Spotted Eagle (about 20%), Steppe Eagle (about 10%) and Imperial Eagle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Spotted Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Kaziranga National Park (87 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.
