Legge's/Crested Hawk Eagle in Kandy Botanical Gdns, Sri Lanka (1 Viewer)

[Steve Copsey]

Photographed this bird on August 13th at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in Kandy, Sri Lanka. I assumed at first it was the more commonly seen Crested Hawk Eagle, but after looking at my guide and seeing a number of Crested hawk Eagles during the visit I was wondering whether this bird could be Legge's Hawk Eagle? These are the only shots I have so not sure whether full id can be confirmed?

 

[Cinereous]

I think probably this is a Created... I understand the Legge's is chunkier like the Mountain hawk eagle..

 

[Steve Copsey]

Thank You for the reply

 

[Grahame Walbridge]

I think probably this is a Created... I understand the Legge's is chunkier like the Mountain hawk eagle..

Agree with likely juvenile ceylanensis Changeable (Crested) Hawk-eagle. The feathering seems to be confined to the tarsus. I am pretty sure that in Legge's it extends between the toes like Mountain. And it looks too slight. BTW, Legge's is smaller than Mountain.

Grahame

 

[andyb39]

I believe a Legge's of any age should have thick horizontal bars on the belly and "trousers".

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=890&Bird_Image_ID=23106

I can perhaps see where confusion has arisen, because there are several images online labelled "Legge's" which look more like Crested/Changeable to me:

http://scanbird.com/Travel/Sri Lanka 2013/slides/Legge's hawk-eagle.20131207_0596.jpg (very similar to OP)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5633/31317150436_0eca851d03_b.jpg (pale wing panel, referred to by Grahame in another thread)

https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5633/31317150436_0eca851d03_b.jpg

 

[Steve Copsey]

Legge's Or Crested

Thanks for the replies. Always something to learn in Birding ID.