Legge's hawk-eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. It breeds in the Indian subcontinent, from southern India to Sri Lanka. Its specific name kelaarti honors the physician-zoologist E.F. Kelaart. The English common name honours William Vincent Legge, who described the species in 1878.
Region
South Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily in evergreen and moist deciduous forests of the Western Ghats in southern India and across Sri Lanka’s wet and montane zones. Prefers tall primary or mature secondary forest, but may use forest edges, clearings, and wooded ravines. Nests are built high in large emergent trees, often on ridges. It hunts both below the canopy and above it, using soaring and perch-and-wait tactics.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2300 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Legge's hawk-eagle is a forest-dwelling raptor of the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka, once treated as a subspecies of the mountain hawk-eagle. It favors tall, undisturbed forest for nesting and hunts a wide variety of vertebrate prey. The species name kelaarti honors Sri Lankan physician-zoologist E.F. Kelaart, and the English name commemorates W.V. Legge, who described it in 1878.
A Legge's hawk-eagle photographed in Sri Lanka.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with powerful, deep wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically encountered singly or in territorial pairs. Monogamous pairs maintain large territories and nest high in tall trees, often reusing substantial stick nests. Clutches are small (usually one egg), with a long nesting period; both adults contribute to incubation and provisioning.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizes with sharp, piercing whistles and repeated screaming calls, especially near the nest or during display flights. Calls carry far over forested valleys and may include rapid, rising series followed by drawn-out notes.
Plumage
Dark brown upperparts with paler mottling, and pale underparts heavily streaked dark brown to blackish from throat to belly. Tail is broadly banded with a bold dark subterminal band; flight feathers show barring. Often shows a short, shaggy crest and a contrasting paler throat.
Diet
Prey includes medium-sized birds (such as pigeons and junglefowl), small mammals like squirrels and rodents, and reptiles including lizards and snakes. Hunts from concealed perches or by soaring and stooping into the canopy. Will also make rapid dashes along forest edges and clearings, carrying prey to a perch to pluck and eat.
Preferred Environment
Forages within dense forest interiors, along edges, and above ridgelines where updrafts aid soaring. Uses vantage points such as tall emergent trees and forested slopes overlooking gaps or streams.
