Malaysian Birds
Crested Serpent-Eagle
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Serpent Eagles so-named as they are snakes eating Eagles. The bird has a large looking head with long feathers on the back of the head giving a crested appearance. The face is bare with yellow skin. The lower legs are unfeathered and installed with armor-like scales that help protect them against snakebites. They fly over the forest canopy on broad wings and tail have wide white and black bars. They call often with a loud, piercing and familiar three or two-note call. 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".
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Crested Serpent-Eagle 1
Crested Serpent-Eagle 2
Crested Serpent-Eagle 3
Crested Serpent-Eagle 4
Crested Serpent-Eagle 5
Crested Serpent-Eagle 6
Crested Serpent-Eagle 7
Crested Serpent-Eagle 8
Crested Serpent-Eagle 9
Crested Serpent-Eagle . 10
Crested Serpent-Eagle 11
Crested Serpent-Eagle 12
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My personal jottings on the Crested Serpent-Eagle:- Young birds show a lot of white on the head. In flight this Eagle is for me is most easy to distinguish. It has a broad white band on the tail. The wings also have continuous white band as well. In resting position, when the bird is not too far away, the yellow facial skins around the eyes make the bird easy to identify. Very often, its unmistakable calls over the hills and valley will signal their presence. Could be in flight or perched near-by "Crested" - but as you can see from the pictures, the crest does not appear that readily. Seen as a tuft behind the head. Some books talk about the crest can be manipulated to cover the eye in event of an attack by its victim, the snakes. The bird prefers open end or bare branches in the middle storey but could also pick vantage perches in low places. I think that pictures have taken away the descriptions my writing suppose to elaborate. First this the breeding rate of this bird prolific. That's the reason that the bird could be seen almost every jungle path and forest edge that we went. Then again, the bird is a very confident creature, undisturbed by traffic and human presence. Choosing an outstanding spot to stalk. For the birders, the sight of the bird is always a welcome sign that they have seen a good bird for the day. I like this bird, very re-assuring when meeting up with it in most birding trip.
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With Will would Wander |
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