Birding In Taiwan - Crested Serpent-Eagle


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Birds in Taiwan Endemic Species Collared Bush-Robin Flamecrest Formosan Magpie Formosan Whistling-Thrush Mikado Pheasant Steere's Liocichla Styan's Bulbul Swinhoe's Pheasant Taiwan Barwing Taiwan Bush-Warbler Taiwan Partridge Taiwan Yuhina White-eared Sibia White-whiskered Laughingthrush Yellow Tit Possible Future Full Species Endemic Sub-Species Alpine Accentor Barred Buttonquail Besra Black Bulbul Black Drongo Black-browed Barbet Black Kite Black-naped Monarch Bronzed Drongo Brown Bullfinch Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler Brown-eared Bulbul Chinese Bamboo-Partridge Collared Finchbill Collared Scops-Owl Collared Owlet Coal Tit Crested Goshawk Crested Myna Crested Serpent-Eagle Dusky Fulvetta Eurasian Jay Eurasian Nutcracker Gray Treepie Gray-cheeked Fulvetta Gray-headed Bullfinch Green-backed Tit House Swift Hwamei Island Thrush Kentish (Snowy) Plover ‘Lanyu’ Scops-Owl Little Ringed Plover Maroon Oriole Mountain Scops-Owl Oriental Skylark Oriental Turtle-Dove Pheasant-tailed Jacana Plain Prinia Plumbeous Redstart Pygmy Wren-Babbler Ring-necked Pheasant Rufous-capped Babbler Rusty Laughingthrush Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler Streak-throated Fulvetta Striated Prinia Varied Tit Vinaceous Rosefinch Vinous-throated Parrotbill Whistling Green-Pigeon White-bellied Green-Pigeon White-browed Bush-Robin White-browed Shortwing White-tailed Robin White-throated Laughingthrush Winter Wren Yellowish-bellied Bush-Warbler More Birds in Taiwan Black-crowned Night Heron Black-faced Spoonbill Black-naped Oriole Black-throated Tit Black-winged Stilt Brown-headed Thrush Cattle Egret Chinese Crested Tern Chinese Goshawk Cinnamon Bittern Common Kingfisher Common Kestrel Common Moorhen Common Snipe Daurian Redstart Eastern Marsh Harrier Eurasian Wigeon Eurasian Teal Fairy Pitta Fork-tailed or Pacific Swift Garganey Gray-chinned Minivet Gray-faced Buzzard Gray Heron Great Cormorant Great Egret Greater Painted-Snipe Ijima’s Leaf-Warbler Intermediate Egret Japanese White-eye Lesser Coucal Little Egret Little Forktail Little Grebe Malayan Night-heron Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Osprey Pacific Golden-Plover Pale Thrush Peregrine Falcon Red Collared-Dove Russet Sparrow Spot-billed Duck Spotted Dove Tufted Duck White-breasted Waterhen Yellow Bittern SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN “Endemic Subspecies of Taiwan birds—first impressions”, by N. J. Collar, from BirdingASIA No. 2, December 2004. Presented with permission. BirdingASIA is the bulletin of the Oriental Bird Club. Please see our Links page for benefits of membership in the OBC.	Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela hoya Endemic subspecies The Crested Serpent-Eagle is a large, dark bird of prey with broad, rounded black and white wings, and a rather short tail. When the bird is seen in flight, the broad white wing band and broad whitish tail band are diagnostic. Adult males and females look alike, having a distinctive, short black-and-white striped, fan-shaped crest lying on the nape. The flattened crest gives the bird a thick-necked, block-headed appearance. The upperparts are dark brown with fine white spots on their upper wing coverts and scapulars. The color of the feathers in the base-layer of their bellies is tealeaf brown mixed with some yellowish-brown spots. The belly, flanks and vent are spotted with white. The bird has bare yellow skin between the eye and black bill. The legs are yellow. The Crested Serpent-Eagles' call is a loud: "hu, hu, hu-liu, hu-liu" frequently given in flight. They are often seen soaring or perched on a branch or electric wire with a good view, watching for prey. Their diet consists primarily of snakes, lizards, rats, and sometimes crabs. Crested Serpent-Eagles are common residents of Taiwan. They can be seen all year from low foothills to forests 2,500 meters above sea level. The best time to observe them is during their breeding season from March to June. Reference : The complete guide to birds in Taiwan (Jin-yuan Wang) http://www.gio.gov.tw/info/ecology/English/index_e.html