Aquila africana
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Cassin's hawk-eagle (Aquila africana) or Cassin's eagle, is a relatively small eagle in the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs mark it as member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. A forest-dependent species, it occurs in primary rainforests across western, central and (marginally) eastern Africa where it preys on birds and tree squirrels. It was named after John Cassin who first described it in 1865. Due to widespread habitat destruction, its populations are steadily declining but have not yet warranted upgrading its status from Least Concern.
The adult Cassin's hawk-eagle appears as a small eagle, with short rounded wings and a long rounded tail. It has dark brown upperparts, with white spots and a brown tail with three black bars and a broad black subterminal band. The tarsi are white with black streaks, and the underparts are all white or white with black blotches along the sides of the lower breast. It has yellowish-brown eyes, pale yellow ceres and feet and a black bill. Immature and juvenile plumage is strikingly different from that of adults. A brown or rufous head with dusky lores and streaked black on the throat and centre of the crown is typical... Wikipedia →
Uncertain0:19
Congo (Democratic Republic) · 2025
© Deville Tanguy · XC1182080 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 2 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Semuliki National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 4 | Kibale National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cassin's Hawk-Eagle sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 129 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Cassin's Hawk-Eagle in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against about 10% in November to September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cassin's Hawk-Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Cassin's Hawk-Eagle sightings, Nyungwe National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda, under 5%) and Semuliki National Park (Uganda, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Cassin's Hawk-Eagle that you can see in Nyungwe National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Augur Buzzard (about 30%), Black Kite (about 30%) and Mountain Buzzard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cassin's Hawk-Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (129 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.
