Crested Serpent-Eagle

A rather large, heavily built eagle with a dark, white-tipped bushy crest that gives it a distinctive large-headed look. When raised in alarm, the crest frames the whole face, highlighting the bare yellow lores and eyes, making the head look larger and fiercer. The rufous-brown underparts have neatly arranged dark-edged bold white spots. In flight, shows broad rounded wings with a wide black trailing edge. Juvenile predominantly white with dark streaks below; also note dark mask. Commonly seen perched upright in well-wooded areas, with wingtips nearly covering the broad white sub-terminal band on the tail. Its 1-3 note scream is often heard in the forest.

The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster) in Sri Lanka can be found in a variety of habitats, including rainforests, plantations, and wooded areas. They are more common in the dry zone than the wet zone.

The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) in Sri Lanka eats snakes, reptiles, amphibians, large insects, and small birds. They are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain and have no known predators.