Spilornis cheela
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a medium-sized bird of prey that is found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Within its widespread range across the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia, there are considerable variations and some authorities prefer to treat several of its subspecies as completely separate species. In the past, several species including the Philippine serpent eagle (S. holospila), Andaman serpent eagle (S. elgini) and South Nicobar serpent eagle (S. klossi) were treated as subspecies of the crested serpent eagle. All members within the species complex have a large-looking head with long feathers on the back, giving them a maned and crested appearance. The face is bare and yellow joining up with the ceres while the powerful feet are unfeathered and heavily scaled. 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. They often feed on snakes, giving them their name and are placed along with the Circaetus snake-eagles in the subfamily Circaetinae.
This medium-large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Taipei | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Kaohsiung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 6 | Chattogram | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 7 | Tamluk | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 9 | Ponnani | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Bandung | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vinpearl Safari | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 3 | Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 4 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 5 | Chiang Mai Zoo | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Guangzhou Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 8 | Ninoy Aquino Parks & Wildlife Center | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 9 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Bandung Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 12 | Xpark | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 13 | Lembang Park & Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Serpent Eagle sighting in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, based on 551 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 228 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–March, May and October
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Serpent Eagle in Kuala Lumpur on a given day, against about 20% in April, June–September and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Serpent Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 39 cities where we can rate Crested Serpent Eagle sightings, Kuala Lumpur has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Thrissur (India, about 20%) and Taipei (Taiwan, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Crested Serpent Eagle that you can see in Kuala Lumpur (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Brahminy Kite (about 30%), Crested Hawk-Eagle (about 10%) and Oriental Honey-buzzard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Serpent Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Kuala Lumpur (551 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
