Hieraaetus weiskei
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The pygmy eagle or New Guinea hawk-eagle (Hieraaetus weiskei) is a bird of prey found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are primarily subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is one of the smallest species of eagle.
The pygmy eagle was described by German naturalist Anton Reichenow as Eutolmaetus weiskei in 1900. It was subsequently considered a subspecies of the little eagle or a distinct species. Gjershaug and colleagues analysed it genetically and found it distinct enough to warrant species status. The International Ornithologists' Union (IOC) subsequently recognised it as a distinct species. "Pygmy eagle" has been designated the official name by the IOC.
The pygmy eagle is one of the world's smallest-known species of eagle and smallest living member of the Aquilinae subfamily, only rivaled by the Great Nicobar serpent eagle in diminutive size by all modern species referred to as eagles. Pygmy eagles measure 38 to 48 cm (15 to 19 in) in length. The wingspan measures 112 to 126 cm (44 to 50 in). The female eagle is slightly larger than the male. One male pygmy eagle was found to... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a New Guinea Hawk-Eagle sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 149th most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a New Guinea Hawk-Eagle in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Guinea Hawk-Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate New Guinea Hawk-Eagle sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the New Guinea Hawk-Eagle that you can see in Raja Ampat (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Brahminy Kite (about 60%), White-Bellied Sea-Eagle (about 30%) and Gurney's Eagle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Guinea Hawk-Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (21 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.
