Aviceda subcristata
The Pacific Baza, *Aviceda subcristata*, is a striking medium-sized raptor, often distinguished by its prominent erectile nuchal crest, giving it a somewhat 'hawk-eagle' like appearance. Measuring between 35-46 cm in length with a wingspan of 80-105 cm, adults exhibit dark grey to black upperparts, a white throat, and finely barred rufous and white underparts, particularly on the belly and flanks, contrasting with a grey breast. Its bright yellow eyes and two broad black bars on the underside...
This raptor primarily inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, dense woodlands, and riparian strips, typically at low to mid-elevations up to 1500 meters.
The diet consists primarily of large insects such as mantids, grasshoppers, cicadas, and beetles, supplemented by small reptiles, frogs, and occasionally small mammals, often captured through aerial hawking or gleaning.
Pacific Bazas are diurnal, often most active during the cooler parts of the day or at dawn and dusk, roosting communally or solitarily in dense canopy at night. Their foraging strategy is unique, often involving aerial hawking for large insects in a buoyant, almost butterfly-like flight, punctuat...
The Pacific Baza is widely distributed across Australasia and parts of Southeast Asia, primarily residing in northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia (including the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, and parts of the Moluccas), and East Timor. In Australia, its rang...
Least Concern
- The Pacific Baza's distinctive crest can be raised or lowered, used in display, alarm, or during social interactions, giving it a very expressive head. - It is sometimes called the 'Butterfly Hawk' due to its buoyant, erratic, and agile flight style while hunting insects in the canopy. - Unlike...