Nisaetus cirrhatus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) or crested hawk-eagle is a large bird of prey species of the family Accipitridae. More informal or antiquated English common names include the marsh hawk-eagle or Indian crested hawk-eagle. It is a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, with signature feathers, absent in tropical raptors from outside this subfamily, covering the tarsus. It was formerly placed in the genus Spizaetus, but studies pointed to the group being paraphyletic resulting in the Old World members being placed in Nisaetus and separated from the New World species. It is a typical "hawk-eagle" in that it is an agile forest-dwelling predator and like many such eagles readily varies its prey selection between birds, mammals or reptiles as well as other vertebrates. Among the members of its genus, the changeable hawk-eagle stands out as the most widely distributed, adaptable and abundant species. Individuals show a wide range of variation in plumage from pale to dark, varying with moult and age giving rise to the name "changeable".
The changeable hawk-eagle was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 2 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Tamluk | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Johor Bahru | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Kochi | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Dehradun | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Surabaya Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Bandung Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kuala Lumpur Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Bali Bird Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation Biodiversity Conservation Center | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Hawk-Eagle sighting in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, based on 275 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Hawk-Eagle in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, against about 30% in February, the lowest month. That is one of Wilpattu National Park's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
Between 4 and 7 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Hawk-Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 34
Of the 34 parks where we can rate Crested Hawk-Eagle sightings, Wilpattu National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Udawalawe National Park (Sri Lanka, about 60%) and Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Crested Hawk-Eagle that you can see in Wilpattu National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Crested Serpent Eagle (about 70%), Brahminy Kite (about 60%) and White-Bellied Sea-Eagle (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Hawk-Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Wilpattu National Park (275 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.
