Lophotriorchis kienerii
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The rufous-bellied eagle or rufous-bellied hawk-eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that is found in the forested regions of tropical Asia. Relatively small for eagles and contrastingly patterned like a falcon, this species was earlier placed in the genus Hieraaetus and sometimes also in the genus Aquila but thought to be distinctive enough to belong to a separate genus.
This eagle was described as Astur Kienerii and illustrated as Falco Kienerii by "G. S." (Gustave de Sparre, though sometimes erroneously attributed to Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire) in 1834–1835. De Sparre's description was based on a specimen from the Himalayas in the collection of "M. le prince d'Essling".
It was later moved to Limnaetus by Jerdon, the genus Lophotriorchis and still later to Hieraaetus, the so-called "hawk-eagles". A study of the phylogeny of some Hieraaetus species and other eagles indicated that they were nested within the Aquila clade of eagles, resulting in their repositioning. Another molecular study of the eagles suggested that kienerii was distinctive enough to be retained in a separate genus for which the name Kienastur had... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 2 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 14 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 15 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 16 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 21 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 22 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 23 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 24 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 3 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Manila | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-bellied Eagle sighting in Periyar National Park on a given day, based on 173 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 116th most-seen of the 227 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, 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 Rufous-bellied Eagle in Periyar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May, July, September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Periyar National Park's wettest months, with about 330 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-bellied 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.
Among the best
Of the 24 parks where we can rate Rufous-bellied Eagle sightings, Periyar National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Royal Manas National Park (Bhutan, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-bellied 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 Rufous-bellied Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Periyar National Park (173 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.
