Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) thermal soaring in Udawalawe: raptor predation on lizards?
What thermal soaring dynamics and canopy perch hunting techniques allow the Crested Hawk-Eagle to prey on calotes lizards and junglefowl across open scrub?
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3 Answers from travellers
The Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus ceylanensis / Rajaliya) is a common raptor in Udawalawe and Yala national parks. Measuring up to 70cm with broad, rounded wings and a prominent erectile black head crest, it is an adaptable ambush predator. Between 9:00 AM and 11:30 AM, eagles utilize rising thermal updrafts along the reservoir bund to soar without flapping, scanning open scrub. However, active hunting is executed from concealed perches in tall dead trees: spotting green garden lizards (Calotes), juvenile monitor lizards, or foraging junglefowl on the ground, the eagle drops in a steep dive, seizing prey with sharp talons.
The species displays extreme color dimorphism: pale morphs have white underparts streaked with black, while melanistic dark morphs appear entirely chocolate-brown.
They build massive stick nests high in emergent Kumbuk or Damba trees bordering riverbeds, returning to the same nest platform annually.
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