Spilornis minimus redirects here. For the species Nicobar Serpent Eagle, see Spilornis klossi.
- Spilornis cheela
Identification
Medium large raptor about 50–74 cm (19¾-29 in) in length.
Adult
- Dark brown upperparts and head
- Hooded appearance at rest
- Pale brown underparts and underwing coverts
- Appears large-headed and owl-like due to face s hape and position of eyes
Flight
- Shallow dihedral in soaring flight
- Tail and flight feathers black with broad white stripes
Distribution
Southern Asia. Widespread and generally common from northern India south to Sri Lanka east to southern China, Hainan, Taiwan and the southern Ryukyu Islands and south to the Andaman Islands and Malay Peninsula. Also breeds on Palawan, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and many smaller islands.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 21 subspecies currently recognised, some of which may be deserving of full species status[1]:
- S. c. cheela in northern India and Nepal
- S. c. melanotis in the Indo-Gangetic plain
- S. c. spilogaster in Sri Lanka
- S. c. burmanicus from Burma to southwestern China, Thailand and Indochina
- S. c. davisoni on the Andaman Islands
- S. c. ricketti in southern China and northern Vietnam
- S. c. hoya in Taiwan
- S. c. rutherfordi on Hainan (southern China)
- S. c. palawanensis on Palawan (southwestern Philippines)
- S. c. pallidus in the lowlands of northern Borneo
- S. c. richmondi in southern Borneo
- S. c. malayensis on the Malay Peninsula, northern Sumatra and Anambas Islands
- S. c. batu on southern Sumatra and Batu Islands
- S. c. bido on Java and Bali
- S. c. minimus on Nicobar Islands, India
- S. c. perplexus on southern Ryukyu Islands
- S. c. natunensis on Natunas and Belitung islands (off Borneo)
- S. c. abbotti on Simeulue Island (off western Sumatra)
- S. c. asturinus on Nias Island (off western Sumatra)
- S. c. sipora on the Mentawai Archipelago (off western Sumatra)
- S. c. baweanus on Bawean Island (off northern Java)
Habitat
Forest and forest edge, riverine woodland, farmland and sometimes near villages. Occurs up to 3,000m in the Himalayas.
Behaviour
Diet
They specialise in reptiles, hunting over woodland for tree snakes and lizards.
They will, occasionally, take mammals, crabs, eels and birds.
Vocalisation
They are very vocal, especially in breeding display flights.
Listen in an external program
Recording &cpy; by Alok Tewari
Jim Corbett NP, India, 9 June 2016
Call given by two individuals sitting across river Ramganga, on its two banks. Recorded in peak breeding season.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Nominate subspecies : Crest raised
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Jim Corbett NP, India, June-2016
Immature Nominate subspecies
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, India, February-2018
Subspecies malayensis
Photo © by noeryanto mastok noeryanto
Perak, Malaysia, June 2012
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum thread discussing identification of Crested Serpent Eagle
- Birdforum thread discussing differences between Crested Serpent Eagle and Mountain Serpent Eagle
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Crested Serpent Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crested_Serpent_Eagle
External Links
