Crested serpent eagle
| Crested Serpent Eagle | |
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| Adult ssp. spilogaster | |
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| Species: | S. cheela
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| Binomial name | |
| Spilornis cheela Latham, 1790
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The Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range, there are considerable variations and some forms are treated as subspecies while others are considered full species and the systematics of the group is not resolved. Close relatives that are often treated as full species include the Philippine Serpent Eagle (S. holospila), Andaman Serpent-eagle (Spilornis elgini) and South Nicobar Serpent-eagle (Spilornis klossi). All members within the species complex have a large looking head with feathers on their head giving them a maned and crested appearance. The face is bare and yellow joining up with the ceres and powerful feet are unfeathered and heavily scaled. They forage over the forest canopy with their wings and tail showing broad white and black bars and often call with a piercing and familiar three or two-note call. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name and are placed along with the Circaetus snake-eagles in the subfamily Circaetinae.
Description
This large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped crest gives it a thick-necked appearance. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. Young birds show a lot of white on the head.[2]
Distribution and taxonomy
Within its widespread range across tropical Asia, nearly 21 populations have been named as subspecies. These include the nominate from along the sub-Himalayan range in India and Nepal, melanotis in Peninsular India, spilogaster of Sri Lanka, burmanicus further east, ricketti in Vietnam and China and malayensis of the Malay Peninsula. A number of island forms fringe this main distribution and includes davisoni in the Andamans, minimus from the Nicobars, perplexus from Ryuku, hoya (Taiwan), rutherfordi (Hainan), palawanensis (Palawan), pallidus (northern Borneo), richmondi (southern Borneo), natunensis (Natuna), batu (Batu), abbotti, sipora and asturinus (off Sumatra), bido (Java) and baweanus of the Bawean Islands.
The nominate form has a black throat while the peninsular Indian form has a brownish throat. There are clinal latitudinal variations, with size decreasing southward.[2]
The specific name cheela is derived from the Hindi name for kites.
Behaviour and ecology
The Crested Serpent-eagle, as its English suggests, is a specialist reptile eater which hunts over woodland, often close to water, for snakes and lizards. It is placed along with the snake eagles of the genus Circaetus in the subfamily Circaetinae.[3]
It is found mainly over areas with thick vegetation both on the low hills and the plains. This species is a resident species, but in some parts of their range they are found only in summer.[2] [[File:SpilornisPallidusKeulemans.jpg|thumb|S. c. pallidus by Keulemans
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 their perches where they spend a lot of time and they rise on thermals in the mornings.[2] They will sometimes follow snakes on the ground.[4]
The breeding season is mainly in winter to spring. The nest is a large platform built high on a tree. In central India, the Terminalia tomentosa is often used. The nests are lined with green leaves from the tree on which it is placed.[4] The usual clutch is one eggs but two are sometimes laid and only a single chick is successfully raised in a season. Nests are defended by the parents.[5][6][7]
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In culture
The Crested Serpent-eagle has been designated by the government of Japan as Special Natural Monument under criteria 1.1: "Well-known animals peculiar to Japan and their habitat".
References
- ^ Template:IUCN2008
- ^ a b c d Rasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. pp. 92–93.
- ^ Lerner, Heather R.L. & David P. Mindell (2005). "Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37: 327–346. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.04.010.
- ^ a b Naoroji,Rishad K; Monga,SG (1983). "Observations on the Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) in Rajpipla forests - South Gujarat". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 80 (2): 273–285.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Daly,M (1895). "The southern Indian harrier eagle". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 9 (4): 487.
- ^ Osman,SM (1972). "The Crested Serpent Eagle". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 69 (3): 461–468.
- ^ Hume, AO (1890). The nests and eggs of Indian birds. Volume 3. R H Porter, London. pp. 152–154.
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