Flores hawk-eagle
species of bird
The Flores hawk-eagle (Nisaetus floris) is a large raptor in the family Accipitridae. It is an endemic species to the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. A member of the genus Nisaetus, it was considered as a subspecies of and conspecific with the changeable hawk-eagle but genetic studies have evidenced it as a legitimate species. A forest dwelling predator, this species is classified as endangered due to habitat loss and persecution.
Description
Adults have dark brown upperparts, a brown tail with six bars, a white patch in the wings that is visible in flight, white underparts, and a white head with fine brownish streaks on the crown (many books erroneously illustrate adults with largely brown heads). Furthermore, they have sparse light dark markings about the thighs. The white patches at the upperside of the primaries are a species diagnostic. Furthermore, the tail has 6, not 4–5, bars. It has traditionally been treated as a subspecies of the changeable hawk-eagle; at least in part because of confusion over the true adult plumage of the Flores hawk-eagle, which resembles the juvenile of the changeable hawk-eagle. Unlike that species, adult and juvenile Flores hawk-eagles are quite similar.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Flores hawk-eagle” as species of bird. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of bird. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1116302. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Flores hawk-eagle” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.