Crested Serpent Eagle

The crested serpent eagle is a stocky, medium-large dark brown eagle with rounded wings and a short tail. A short black-and-white fan-shaped crest gives it a thick-necked, maned look, and the bare face and feet are yellow; the underparts are spotted white and yellowish-brown. In soaring flight the broad, paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V and the tail and flight feathers show broad white bars against black. Young birds show much white on the head (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is a reptile-eater that hunts over forest, often near wet grassland, mainly for snakes and lizards, though it also takes birds, mammals, amphibians, fish and large insects. It often soars over the canopy calling a loud, piercing two- or three-note cry. Its range across tropical Asia includes many forms, and some authorities treat several of them as separate species; island forms such as the Andaman and South Nicobar serpent eagles are now split. In India it is resident across a very large range; SoIB 2023 finds its trends uncertain and rates it a Low conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).