Crested Hawk-Eagle

Nisaetus cirrhatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAccipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies)
FamilyAccipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
GenusNisaetus (Asian Hawk-Eagles)
SpeciesNisaetus cirrhatus (Crested Hawk-Eagle)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Tanjung Puting National Park

8 Verified sightings at Tanjung Puting National Park From 2019 to 2026

7,325 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026

🌅 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 Tanjung Puting National Park

LC Endemic

Spilornis cheela

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Haliastur indus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Pernis ptilorhynchus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Elanus caeruleus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Lophotriorchis kienerii

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Ictinaetus malayensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Pandion haliaetus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

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

← Back to Tanjung Puting National Park

Crested Hawk-Eagle

About the Crested Hawk-Eagle

Closest Relatives at Tanjung Puting National Park

Crested Serpent Eagle

Brahminy Kite

Oriental Honey-buzzard

Black-winged Kite

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

Rufous-bellied Eagle

Black Eagle

Osprey

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found