Crested Hawk-Eagle
Crested Hawk-EagleCrested Hawk-EagleCrested Hawk-EagleCrested Hawk-Eagle

Crested Hawk-Eagle

Nisaetus cirrhatus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
276 Verified sightings at Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary From 2019 to 2026
7,325 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted at dawn and dusk

About the Crested Hawk-Eagle

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 →

Closest Relatives at Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary

Wallace's Hawk-Eagle
VU

Wallace's Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus nanus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Blyth's Hawk-Eagle
LC

Blyth's Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus alboniger

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Crested Serpent Eagle
LC

Crested Serpent Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Spilornis cheela

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
White-Bellied Sea-Eagle
LC

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Brahminy Kite
LC

Brahminy Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliastur indus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Gray-headed Fish-Eagle

Gray-headed Fish-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Icthyophaga ichthyaetus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Bat Hawk
LC

Bat Hawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Macheiramphus alcinus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Jerdon's Baza
LC

Jerdon's Baza

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aviceda jerdoni

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Rufous-bellied Eagle
NT

Rufous-bellied Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophotriorchis kienerii

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Oriental Honey-buzzard
LC

Oriental Honey-buzzard

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pernis ptilorhynchus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Black Eagle

Black Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ictinaetus malayensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-winged Kite
LC

Black-winged Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus caeruleus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
2 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
3 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
4 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~40%
5 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
6 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
9 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
11 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
12 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
13 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
14 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%
15 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
16 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
17 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
18 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
19 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
20 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
21 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
22 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
23 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
24 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
25 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
26 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
27 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
28 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
29 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
30 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
31 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
32 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
33 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
34 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Insufficient data
35 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
36 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
37 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
38 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
39 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
40 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Crested Hawk-Eagle in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Hawk-Eagle sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, based on 276 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Crested Hawk-Eagle in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?

June has the highest sighting rate for Crested Hawk-Eagle in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in our monthly data.

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