Aviceda subcristata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Pacific baza (Aviceda subcristata), also known as the crested hawk, crested baza, and Pacific cuckoo-falcon, is a slender, medium-sized species of hawk in the family Accipitridae. It is mostly grey, brown, and white coloured and grows to a length of 35–46 centimetres (14–18 in). It is an omnivore and usually does not migrate. The breeding season for the species lasts from September to at least February, during which time specimens commonly fly and vocalise for display. It lives in Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and East Timor, in forests, savannas, and freshwater bodies. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a least concern species.
The name would be formally published in April of the next year, in part 3 of Gould's A synopsis of the birds of Australia, and the adjacent islands, which reproduced the paper read the previous... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Territory Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Baza sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 90 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 106th most-seen of the 200 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pacific Baza in Raja Ampat on a given day, against under 5% in January, March–April, August and October, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pacific Baza sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Pacific Baza sightings, Raja Ampat has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Springbrook National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Daintree National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Pacific Baza 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 Pacific Baza is recorded against all the birds logged in Raja Ampat (90 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.
