Long-crested Eagle
Lophaetus occipitalis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusLophaetus
- SpeciesLophaetus occipitalis (Long-crested Eagle)
The long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) is an African bird of prey characterised by its shaggy crest of feathers. In the family Accipitridae which includes all the eagles, it is currently placed in a monotypic genus Lophaetus. It is found throughout mid- and southern Africa, with differing home ranges due to food availability and suitable habitat area, but lives mainly on forest edges and near moist areas. Breeding may occur at any time of year, depending on food availability; it lays 1 or 2 eggs as is usual for raptors. It commonly eats smaller mammals, but will also eat other vertebrates and invertebrates. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Niokolo-Koba National Park
African Fish-Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
Palmnut Vulture
Gypohierax angolensis
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
Brown Snake Eagle
Circaetus cinereus
Wahlberg's Eagle
Hieraaetus wahlbergi
Lizard Buzzard
Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Banded Snake-Eagle
Circaetus cinerascens
African Hawk-Eagle
Aquila spilogaster
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Pale Harrier
Circus macrourus
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Long-crested Eagle at Niokolo-Koba National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there