EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Crested Serpent Eagle in Panna NP

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela), Family Accipitridae
Panna National Park, India

Explanation:  During a hike through wonderful Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh, central India, we were stopped in our tracks by a raptor's call from the upper forest canopy.  There sat a Crested Serpent Eagle, member of the accipiter family, staking out its territory quite vocally.

Fairly widespread in forests and woodlands of India, Crested Serpent Eagles commonly use a high vantage point perch from which to spot prey.  They often take snakes, rats, lizards, frogs, squirrels, and other similar-sized snacks.  

Their call is sometimes described as a penetrating, high-pitched, screaming whistle of 3 or 4 notes.

And they are not to be confused with other raptors with crests, such as Crested Eagles of the Neotropics, Crested Hawks (a.k.a. Pacific Baza) of Australia, Long-crested Eagles of Africa, and others.  And yes, the photos here do not show the crest!  But it is there.