Icthyophaga humilis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The lesser fish eagle (Icthyophaga humilis) is a species of Icthyophaga found in the Indian subcontinent, primarily in the foothills of the Himalayas, and south-east Asia. There are records from Gujarat, Central India and in more recent times from the Kaveri river valley in southern India, although the south Indian records are now thought to come from an isolated population, disjunct from the species' normal range.
Some taxonomic authorities place this species in the genus Icthyophaga. Others place it in the genus Haliaeetus. Lesser fish eagles are fish-eating birds that have feet adapted to aid in gripping slippery fish. They have strongly curved talons, and spicules along the underside of the birds' toes help to grip fish as they pull them from the water.
There are two subspecies: Icthyophaga humilis humilis, which is native to the Malaysian Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and Sulawesi; and Icthyophaga humilis plumbeus, which is native to Kashmir through southeast India, Nepal, and Burma towards Indochina.
The lesser fish eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey that is primarily gray-brown in colour with broad, blunt wings and coarse featherless legs. They are smaller... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 10 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Fish-Eagle sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 137th most-seen of the 227 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.
January to March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Fish-Eagle in Periyar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to December, the lowest months. Those are among Periyar National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 410 mm in August.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Fish-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.
6th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Lesser Fish-Eagle sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Sok National Park (Thailand, about 30%), Jim Corbett National Park (India, about 20%) and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Lesser Fish-Eagle that you can see in Periyar National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Crested Serpent Eagle (about 30%), Black Eagle (about 20%) and Oriental Honey-buzzard (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Fish-Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (124 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.
