Changeable hawk-eagle

Changeable hawk-eagle
in Bandipur National Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Nisaetus
Species:
N. cirrhatus
Binomial name
Nisaetus cirrhatus
(Gmelin, JF, 1788)
Subspecies[2]
  • N. c. limnaeetus - (Horsfield, 1821)
  • N. c. cirrhatus - (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
  • N. c. ceylanensis - (Gmelin, JF, 1788)
  • N. c. andamanensis - (Tytler, 1865)
  • N. c. vanheurni - (Junge, 1936)
Synonyms

Spizaetus cirrhatus

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.[3] It is a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, with signature feathers, absent in tropical raptors from outside this subfamily, covering the tarsus.[4] 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.[5] Among the members of its genus, the changeable hawk-eagle stands out as the most widely distributed, adaptable and abundant species.[1][3] Individuals show a wide range of variation in plumage from pale to dark, varying with moult and age giving rise to the name "changeable".[6][7]

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2020). "Nisaetus cirrhatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22732090A181767197. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22732090A181767197.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ Gill F, D Donsker & P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v10.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2.
  3. ^ a b Ferguson-Lees, J., & Christie, D. A. (2001). Raptors of the world. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
  4. ^ Sheehy, R. R. (1995). A phylogenetic analysis of the Accipitridae (class Aves). University of Arizona.
  5. ^ Naoroji, R., & Schmitt, N. J. (2007). Birds of prey of the Indian subcontinent. Om Books International.
  6. ^ "Changeable Hawk-Eagle - eBird". ebird.org.
  7. ^ "Crested Hawk-eagles or Changeable Hawk-eagles | Beauty of Birds". www.beautyofbirds.com. 13 July 2023.