The Crested Serpent Eagle, Spilornis cheela or Kanmuri-washi, is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. The Philippine Serpent Eagle (S. holospila) is sometimes included here as a subspecies.
Distribution / Range
The Crested Serpent Eagle can be found in a large geographical region from South Asia, including Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, to Southeast Asia, extending to southern China and Indonesia.
Description
The Crested Serpent Eagle is a medium-large raptor at about 55–75 cm in length. Adults have dark brown upperparts and head and have a hooded appearance at rest. The underparts and underwing coverts are pale brown.
In soaring flight, the broad wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars.
When perched, they appear large-headed and owl-like due to the shape of the face and positioning of the eyes. They do not have feathers on their legs.
Sexes are visually similar, but young birds have a whitish head, underparts, and underwing, the latter showing darker barring.
Calls / Vocalizations
The call is a distinctive Kluee-wip-wip with the first note being high and rising. They call a lot in the late mornings from perches or as they rise on the thermals in the mornings.
Diet / Feeding
The Crested Serpent Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist reptile eater that hunts over woodland for snakes and lizards.
Breeding / Nesting
This forest bird nests in treetops near fresh water. Its nests are constructed with sticks and contain not more than a single egg at a time.
