Crested Serpent Eagle

Overview

The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a medium-sized bird of prey found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. It is a widespread species with considerable variation in size and plumage across its 21 proposed subspecies. Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, the species complex is currently divided with some authorities treating several subspecies as separate entities.

Identification

• Medium-large and stocky dark brown eagle with rounded wings and a short tail.
• A short black and white fan-shaped nuchal crest gives a thick-necked appearance, with bare yellow facial skin and yellow, heavily scaled, unfeathered feet.
• Underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown, while the tail and flight feathers display broad white and black bars.
• Calls frequently with a loud, piercing two or three-note sound described as 'kluee-wip-wip'.

Habitat

Found mainly over areas with thick vegetation, including low hills and plains, as well as forests close to wet grassland. The species resides across the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and East Asia, with some populations present only in summer.

Diet

Primarily a reptile eater that hunts for snakes and lizards over forests, though it also preys on birds, large insects, amphibians, mammals, fish, termites, and large earthworms. It employs a sit-and-wait foraging strategy, spending 98% of the day perched and usually finding food in the morning hours.

Did you know?

In Penang, cinereous tits have been observed nesting close to crested serpent eagles, presumably for protection from predators like crows, and have even been found visiting eagle nests to collect fur from the remains of dead mammals.