New Homes on Misty Mountains: Javan Hawk-eagle Nisaetus bartelsi and Changeable Hawk-eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus Nesting in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, West Java, Indonesia

Raptors play important roles in forests but they are threatened by illegal trade, hunting, habitat destruction and the use of pesticides. The location of raptor nests is important for determining appropriate conservation measures and, to halt poaching for illegal trade, it is also important to involve local people in raptor conservation. Gunung Halimun Salak National Park in western Java, Indonesia, is one of the few remaining habitats of the endangered endemic Javan Hawk-eagle Nisaetus bartelsi and the Changeable Hawk-eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus in Indonesia. This research aimed to locate the nesting places of Javan and Changeable Hawk-eagles, to describe the characteristics of these locations, and also to monitor the breeding success of individuals at each nest. We discovered that finding Javan Hawk-eagle nests was more difficult than finding Changeable Hawk-eagle nests. The Javan Hawk-eagles build their nests in taller trees, at higher altitudes, on steeper slopes and closer to water sources. Based on three years of monitoring of seven nests of Changeable Hawk-eagles and five nests of Javan Hawk-eagles in the national park, the breeding success of the Changeable Hawk-eagle was found to be higher than that of the Javan Hawk-eagle.