Gray-headed Fish-Eagle

Gray-headed Fish-Eagle

Icthyophaga ichthyaetus

40–50% · Possible
overall probability at Wilpattu National Park
175 Verified records at Wilpattu National Park
November Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

The grey-headed fish eagle (Icthyophaga ichthyaetus) is a fish-eating bird of prey from Southeast Asia. It is a large stocky raptor with adults having dark brown upper body, grey head and lighter underbelly and white legs. Juveniles are paler with darker streaking. It is often confused with the lesser fish eagle (Icthyophaga humilis) and the Pallas's fish eagle. The lesser fish eagle is similar in plumage but smaller and the Pallas's fish eagle shares the same habitat and feeding behaviour but is larger with longer wings and darker underparts. Is often called tank eagle in Sri Lanka due to its fondness for irrigation tanks. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Fish-Eagle sighting in Wilpattu National Park, based on 175 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Wilpattu National Park

Brahminy Kite
LC

Brahminy Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliastur indus

60–70% · Likely
Crested Serpent Eagle
LC Endemic

Crested Serpent Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Spilornis cheela

60–70% · Likely
Crested Hawk-Eagle
LC Endemic

Crested Hawk-Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Nisaetus cirrhatus

40–50% · Likely
White-Bellied Sea-Eagle
LC

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus leucogaster

40–50% · Likely
Oriental Honey-buzzard
LC

Oriental Honey-buzzard

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Pernis ptilorhynchus

10–20% · With luck
Black-winged Kite
LC

Black-winged Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus caeruleus

<5% · Rare
Booted Eagle
LC

Booted Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hieraaetus pennatus

Insufficient data
Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

Insufficient data
Black Eagle

Black Eagle

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Ictinaetus malayensis

Insufficient data
Osprey
LC

Osprey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pandion haliaetus

5–10% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

20–30
Jan
40–50
Feb
40–50
Mar
40–50
Apr
20–30
May
20–30
Jun
40–50
Jul
30–40
Aug
30–40
Sep
40–50
Oct
50–60
Nov
40–50
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
50–60%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
40–50%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
4 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
20–30%
5 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
20–30%
6 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
20–30%
7 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
20–30%
8 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
10–20%
9 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
10 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
11 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
10–20%
12 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
13 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
14 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
15 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
5–10%
16 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
17 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
18 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
19 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
20 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
Insufficient data
21 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Gray-headed Fish-Eagle in Wilpattu National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-headed Fish-Eagle sighting in Wilpattu National Park, based on 175 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Gray-headed Fish-Eagle in Wilpattu National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Gray-headed Fish-Eagle in Wilpattu National Park in our monthly data.

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