Hawk-eagle perches on railing, 'winks' at passerby in Tampines

A Changeable hawk-eagle was spotted along Tampines North Drive 3 casually perching on a railing as it watched a passer-by film it.

The hawk appeared to give the camera a subtle wink:

The eight-second clip, uploaded on Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Facebook, had bird enthusiasts marvelling at how beautiful the bird was.

Did not look like a typical neighbourhood bird

The cameraman, 27-year-old Zuhairi, was on his way home at around 11am on Nov. 28 when he saw the perched raptor.

"What definitely caught my attention was the size of the bird," he told Mothership, saying that it did not look like the usual birds you would encounter in the neighbourhood.

According to Birds of Singapore, a website created by bird enthusiasts, Changeable hawk-eagles can grow up to 61 to 75cm in size.

In comparison, the most observed bird in Singapore, the Javan Myna, is about 21 to 23cm tall.

"It’s not every day you get winked at by a bird," Zuhairi said when asked how he felt about the moment, adding that it's a moment he'll treasure.

"I felt so lucky to witness something so rare and whimsical," he commented.

Zuhairi said he decided not to go any nearer and just "leave the bird be".

"It was still at the same spot when I left," he added.

Background info on species

The Changeable hawk-eagle is a resident breeder in Singapore.

The Singapore subspecies has two morphs, or two colour-types, which gave rise to the "Changeable" in its name.

The raptor sighted by Zuhairi is a dark morph. The pale morph, as its name suggests, has a paler plumage with white and brown streaks on its chest and underparts.

The species feeds on a variety of prey, including small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

More Changeable hawk-eagles

Top image via Singapore Wildlife Sightings/Facebook