Steppe Eagle
Steppe EagleSteppe EagleSteppe EagleSteppe Eagle

Steppe Eagle

Aquila nipalensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · Rare
overall probability at Lake Nakuru National Park
43 Verified records at Lake Nakuru National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "Booted eagles". This species was once considered to be closely related to the sedentary tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy; two molecular studies, each based on a very small number of genes, indicate that the species are distinct but disagree over how closely related they are. The Steppe eagle is in many ways a peculiar species of eagle. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Steppe Eagle sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 43 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Lake Nakuru National Park

Tawny Eagle
VU

Tawny Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila rapax

20–30% · Possible
African Hawk-Eagle
LC

African Hawk-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila spilogaster

5–10% · With luck
Lesser Spotted Eagle

Lesser Spotted Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila pomarina

<5% · Rare
Verreaux's Eagle
LC

Verreaux's Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila verreauxii

<5% · Rare
Greater Spotted Eagle

Greater Spotted Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila clanga

<5% · Rare
African Fish-Eagle
LC

African Fish-Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haliaeetus vocifer

70–80% · Very likely
Augur Buzzard
LC

Augur Buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo augur

60–70% · Likely
Long-crested Eagle
LC

Long-crested Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophaetus occipitalis

50–60% · Likely
Black-winged Kite
LC

Black-winged Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Elanus caeruleus

30–40% · Possible
Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

10–20% · With luck
Common Buzzard
LC Endemic

Common Buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo buteo

10–20% · With luck
Martial Eagle
EN

Martial Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Polemaetus bellicosus

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
5–10
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
10–20
Nov
20–30
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙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 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
30–40%
2 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
3 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
10–20%
4 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
10–20%
5 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
5–10%
6 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
7 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
5–10%
8 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
9 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
5–10%
10 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
5–10%
11 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
12 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
13 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
14 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
15 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
16 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
17 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
18 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
19 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
20 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
22 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
23 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
24 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
25 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
<5%
26 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
27 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
28 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
29 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
30 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
31 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
32 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
33 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
Insufficient data
34 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
35 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
36 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
37 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
38 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
39 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
40 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
Insufficient data
41 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
42 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
Insufficient data
43 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Steppe Eagle in Lake Nakuru National Park?

About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Steppe Eagle sighting in Lake Nakuru National Park, based on 43 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Steppe Eagle in Lake Nakuru National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Steppe Eagle in Lake Nakuru National Park in our monthly data.

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