Hawks & Eagles in China
Our list for China has 15 hawks & eagles recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 4 summer visitors, 5 winter visitors and 2 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in China in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusWinter visitorCommon28–38 cmRecorded all year
Oriental Honey-buzzardPernis ptilorhynchusSummer visitorUncommon52–68 cmRecorded all year
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusWinter visitorUncommon41–52 cmRegularly Sep–May
Northern GoshawkAstur gentilisWinter visitorUncommon46–61 cmRegularly Sep–Jul
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosResidentUncommon66–102 cmRecorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagleHaliaeetus albicillaWinter visitorUncommon66–94 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Black EagleIctinaetus malaiensisResidentUncommon65–80 cmRecorded all year
Cinereous VultureAegypius monachusResidentUncommon98–120 cmRegularly Oct–Aug
Booted EagleHieraaetus pennatusSummer visitorUncommon42–51 cmRegularly Mar–Dec
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorRare46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Steller's Sea-eagleHaliaeetus pelagicusPassage migrantRare85–105 cmRegularly Feb–Mar
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorRare51–57 cmRegularly May–Jan
Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciataResidentRare65–72 cmRecorded all year
Western Marsh-harrierCircus aeruginosusSummer visitorRare48–56 cmRegularly May–Sep
Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargusPassage migrantRare43–47 cmRegularly May–Jun
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Sparrowhawk 28–38 cm
- Montagu's Harrier 43–47 cm
- Hen Harrier 41–52 cm
- Booted Eagle 42–51 cm
- Western Marsh-harrier 48–56 cm
- Rough-legged Hawk 46–59 cm
- Northern Goshawk 46–61 cm
- Buzzard 51–57 cm
- Oriental Honey-buzzard 52–68 cm
- Bonelli's Eagle 65–72 cm
- Black Eagle 65–80 cm
- White-tailed Sea-eagle 66–94 cm
- Golden Eagle 66–102 cm
- Steller's Sea-eagle 85–105 cm
- Cinereous Vulture 98–120 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made