Western Banded Snake-Eagle
Circaetus cinerascens
Chunky, dark brown raptor with barred underparts. Shows a single broad white band through the tail which is conspicuous in flight. Found in and around forest and thick woodland, often near water. Sits for long periods and doesn’t often soar. Generally scarce and uncommon across its range. Call is a weird, strangled “whaaat-hooooa.” Very similar to Fasciated Snake-Eagle, but doesn’t overlap in range. Somewhat similar to African Cuckoo-Hawk, but larger and chunkier, with a dark brown rather than gray head.
Identification
Chunky, dark brown raptor with barred underparts. Shows a single broad white band through the tail which is conspicuous in flight. Found in and around forest and thick woodland, often near water. Sits for long periods and doesn’t often soar. Generally scarce and uncommon across its range. Call is a weird, strangled “whaaat-hooooa.” Very similar to Fasciated Snake-Eagle, but doesn’t overlap in range. Somewhat similar to African Cuckoo-Hawk, but larger and chunkier, with a dark brown rather than gray head.
Taxonomy
Genus: Circaetus; Family: Accipitridae; Order: Accipitriformes.
- Scientific name
- Circaetus cinerascens
- Authority
- Müller, JW, 1851
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Circaetus
Range and habitat
Western banded snake eagles live in woodlands, mainly along rivers, but they avoid dense forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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Uncommon inhabitant of humid evergreen forest in tropical lowlands. Found singly or in pairs, typically perched quietly and rather upright at middle to upper levels inside the forest. Often with mixed-species feeding flocks acting as a sentinel, giving alarm calls when a hawk or other predator appears. Striking black-and-yellow male suggests an oriole in pattern, but note stout bill. Female much duller, with grayish head and stout bill.
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Dark and robust inhabitant of open subalpine areas with sparse vegetation, such as shrubby slopes, gardens, and plantations. Seldom seen in dense forests. Adult males are inky black with a bright orange bill and no eyering. Females look similar, but are dark brown instead of black with a dark orange bill. Very similar to Indian and Chinese Blackbirds, but Tibetan Blackbirds are larger and more uniformly dark than either Indian or Chinese Blackbirds.
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