From Dijumon Komanthakkal
Hidden within the green pockets of our cities are nature's finest predators. Caught this magnificent Changeable Hawk-Eagle / Crested Hawk-Eagle perched with effortless grace amidst the urban canopy of HMT Kalamassery.
Nature always finds a way to thrive right alongside us if we leave enough green spaces for them to call home.
Urban Forest, HMT Kalamasseri
Feb 2022
Oh boy, looking up this bird's name was an ordeal! There are Changeable Hawk-Eagles. Then come crested or non-crested, and nobody can agree on if/how they are related, how they're related or not, etc. sounds like we've got some big knowledge gaps to fill with these birds.
But I did get to the bottom of what a "changeable" bird is, I think. From the sound of it, there is a large gradient of plumage colors they can have from light to dark, and what color it is can even vary as they age or when they molt, so it may not always look like its immediate family or even itself at different points in its life.
