Changeable Hawk-Eagle - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies cirrhatus
Photo by mikemik
Kanha National Park, Mandla, India, November 2015

Alternative name: Crested Hawk-Eagle

Nisaetus cirrhatus

Spizaetus cirrhatus

Identification

51–82 cm (20-32¼ in)

• Brown upperparts
• White underparts
• Barred underside of flight feathers and tail
• Black streaks on throat
• Dark brown streaks on breast
  

Sexes alike; females larger

The name is due to the dual morph phases - a dark morph and a pale morph.

Distribution

Juvenile 'pale morph'
Photo by kctsang
Singapore, 2006

Southern Asia: occurs in India, Sri Lanka and the Andamans and Nepal east to Vietnam and south to the Malay Peninsula. Also occurs in the southern Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra and Java.

Taxonomy

New studies place this species in the genus Nisaetus instead of Spizaetus.

Flores Hawk-Eagle was recently split from this species^{[1], [2]}.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognised which are sometimes split in two species ^[1]:
Crested Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus):

• cirrhatus in India
• ceylanensis in Sri Lanka

Subspecies ceylanensis
Photo by Andrew S
Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka, November 2003

Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus limnaeetus)

• limnaeetus from north-east India to the Philippines, Borneo, and Java
• andamanensis in the Andaman Islands
• vanheurni on Simalur

Habitat

Deciduous and evergreen forests, gallery forests, open woodland and savanna from sea-level up to 3,300m, hunting over forest edge and clearings.

Behaviour

Breeding

The stick nest isplaced in a tree. A single greyish-white egg is laid.

Diet

The diet includes mammals which include squirrels, hares and rats, small and large birds and reptiles such as lizards, frogs and snakes.

Movements

Generally considered a resident species.

Vocalisation

Photo by michha62
Khanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

Call: loud, high-pitched ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-kee.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
4. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Changeable Hawk-Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Changeable_Hawk-Eagle

External Links

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