NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cassin's Hawk-Eagle
Aquila africana (Cassin, 1865)
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
Cassin's hawk-eagle (Aquila africana) or Cassin's eagle, is a relatively small eagle in the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs mark it as member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. A forest-dependent species, it occurs in primary rainforests across western, central and (marginally) eastern Africa where it preys on birds and tree squirrels. It was named after John Cassin who first described it in 1865. Due to widespread habitat destruction, its populations are steadily declining but have not yet warranted upgrading its status from Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Cassin's hawk-eagle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:10.554554+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aquila africana (Cassin, 1865)
- Name authority
- (Cassin, 1865)
- Common name
- Cassin's Hawk-Eagle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Aquila
- 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
- genusAquila Brisson, 1760
- speciesAquila africana (Cassin, 1865)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aquila. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Imperial EagleAquila heliaca Savigny, 1809 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata Vieillot, 1822 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gurney's EagleAquila gurneyi G. R. Gray, 1861 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny EagleAquila rapax (Temminck, 1828) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African Hawk-EagleAquila spilogaster (Bonaparte, 1850) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Limnaetus africanus Cassin, 1865 Cassin, 1865 | synonym |
| Spizaetus africanus (Cassin, 1865) (Cassin, 1865) | 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=824018 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:FZLM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.