Rufous-bellied Eagle

Scientific Name: Lophotriorchis kienerii
Malay Name: Helang Perut Merah
Chinese Name: 棕腹隼雕

Range:
Found from India to Sri Lanka, Hainan Island and Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy:
Polytypic. Subspecies are: kienerii, formosus.

Local Subspecies: formosus

Size: 53-61 cm

Identification:
Adult has slight crest, blackish head-sides/upperparts, whitish throat/upperbreast and rufous-chestnut belly/vent. In flight shows mostly rufous-chestnut wing-coverts. Juvenile has browner upperparts, whitish head-sides with blackish eyeline and mostly whitish underparts/wing coverts.

Similar looking species: Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Western Osprey

Habitat: Forest, forest edge, secondary growth and suitable wooded areas.

Behaviour/Ecology: Usually glides and soars with wings held level.

Local Status: Rare migrant

Conservation Status: Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2020)

Past accepted records in our database: (not a complete listing)

Photos:

Rufous-bellied Eagle at Bukit Drive. Photo credit: Francis Yap

Adult Rufous-bellied Eagle at Jelutong Tower. Photo Credit: Leslie Fung

Juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle at Bidadari. Photo Credit: Alan Ng

Juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle at Panti Bird Sanctuary. Photo Credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle at Bukit Timah. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

Juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle at Bukit Timah. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

Juvenile Rufous-bellied Eagle at Bukit Timah. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Photos: Oriental Bird Images
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Rufous-bellied Eagle)

References:
BirdLife International. (2020). Lophotriorchis kienerii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22696111A176625288.en. Accessed on 19 December 2021

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.