Crested Hawk-Eagle vs Komodo Dragon

Nisaetus cirrhatus compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Crested Hawk-Eagle is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Crested Hawk-Eagle	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Nisaetus	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Nisaetus cirrhatus	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Crested Hawk-Eagle and Komodo Dragon share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Crested Hawk-Eagle

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Crested Hawk-Eagle	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Crested Hawk-Eagle

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Komodo Dragon

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.