Crested Serpent Eagle

Description:

This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped nuchal 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.

Habitat:

Seen at Kanha National Park.

Notes:

The Crested Serpent Eagle, as its English name suggests, is a specialist reptile eater which hunts over forests, often close to wet grassland, for snakes and lizards. When alarmed, they erect the crest and the head appears large and framed by the ruff. They will sometimes follow snakes on the ground.