Blyth's hawk-eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs from southern Myanmar and Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo, including Brunei and parts of Indonesian Kalimantan. It favors primary evergreen rainforest but also uses tall secondary forest, edges, and ridgelines with emergent trees. The species typically hunts from concealed perches, making short, powerful strikes into the canopy. It is most often encountered in hilly and foothill forests and along forested rivers. In heavily fragmented landscapes, it persists where large trees suitable for nesting remain.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Blyth's hawk-eagle is a medium-sized forest raptor of Southeast Asia, notable for its bold black-and-white plumage and prominent crest. It hunts stealthily from perches within or above the canopy, ambushing birds, arboreal mammals, and reptiles. Ongoing forest loss affects its numbers locally, but it can persist in selectively logged forests where large trees remain.
Blythe's hawk-eagle in Peninsular Malaysia
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with occasional powerful flaps
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, maintaining territories over tracts of forest. Pairs are monogamous and build large stick nests high in emergent trees. Clutches are typically a single egg, with prolonged incubation and post-fledging dependence.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives high-pitched, thin whistles and piping calls, often delivered from a perch or during display soaring. Calls can be repeated in short series, carrying over the forest canopy. Vocal activity increases in early morning.
Plumage
Striking black-and-white patterning with dark upperparts and boldly barred black-and-white underparts; tail with broad dark bands. The head shows a contrasting dark hood and a long, narrow crest. Underwings and flanks show strong barring, and the tarsi are fully feathered.
Diet
Prey includes small to medium birds, squirrels and other small mammals, and occasionally reptiles. It hunts by sitting quietly within the canopy and launching swift ambushes. It may also soar along ridges and drop into the forest to seize prey. Prey is typically carried to a perch to be consumed.
Preferred Environment
Forages in tall lowland and hill forests, along forest edges, river corridors, and ridgelines with emergent trees. It favors areas with good canopy structure that provide concealed perches and glide paths.
