NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Changeable Hawk-Eagle
Nisaetus cirrhatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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".
Wikipedia contributors, Changeable hawk-eagle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:48:51.434658+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nisaetus cirrhatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Nisaetus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusNisaetus Hodgson, 1836
- speciesNisaetus cirrhatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nisaetus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Blyth's Hawk-EagleNisaetus alboniger Blyth, 1845 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Flores Hawk-EagleNisaetus floris (E. J. O. Hartert, 1898) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sulawesi Hawk-EagleNisaetus lanceolatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Philippine Hawk-EagleNisaetus philippensis (Gould, 1863) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pinsker's Hawk-EagleNisaetus pinskeri (Preleuthner & Gamauf, 1998) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Javan Hawk-EagleNisaetus bartelsi (Stresemann, 1924) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Legge's Hawk-EagleNisaetus kelaarti (Legge, 1878) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Wallace's Hawk-EagleNisaetus nanus (Wallace, 1868) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mountain Hawk-EagleNisaetus nipalensis Hodgson, 1836 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Spizaetus cirrhatus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | synonym |
| Falco cirrhatus J. F. Gmelin, 1788 J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=824093 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47J2L. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.