The Philippine serpent eagle (''Spilornis holospilus'') is an eagle found in the major islands of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It is sometimes treated as a race of the crested serpent eagle (''

Spilornis cheela 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 considera ...

''). This species is usually found in forest clearings, open woodlands, and sometimes in cultivated lands with scattered trees. It is endemic to the Philippines. The species is found on most part of the major islands, except for

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

. It is illegal to hunt, capture or possess Philippine serpent eagles under Philippine Law RA 9147.

Description and taxonomy

Ebird describes it as "A fairly large, common raptor of forest and more open wooded areas from the lowlands to the lower mountains. Dark brown with white speckles on the crown and upperparts, rufous-brown below with large white spots. Note the gray cheek and yellow eye. Differs from other raptors in its range by its bare yellow skin between the bill and eye, and in flight by its dark terminal band to the wings and tail. Often gives a whistled “weeeeeuuuu weu weu” in flight, or sometimes just a single note." This species is monotypic.

Ecology and behavior

The bird feeds on amphibians, reptiles and other live prey. Not much is known about its breeding habits. A female was collected with a single egg in its oviducts in April of 2020.

Habitat and conservation status

Its natural

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

are tropical moist lowland forest, montane forest, second growth and cultivated areas up to 2,500 meters above sea level. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has classified the species as being of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

as it has a large range and it is common throughout its range and appears to adapt to second growth. Populations are still declining due to habitat loss due to slash and burn farming, mining, illegal logging and habitat conversion, hunting and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. It is found in multiple protected areas such as

Pasonanca Natural Park The Pasonanca Natural Park is a List of protected areas of the Philippines, protected area that preserves a major watershed in the southern Philippines, Philippine island of Mindanao in the Zamboanga Peninsula. It contains the headwaters of the ...

Bataan National Park Bataan National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the mountainous interior of Bataan province in the Central Luzon Region. Activities in the park include nature viewing, bird watching, and trekking to its several peaks and w ...

Mount Banahaw Mount Banahaw (; also spelled as Banahao and Banájao) is an active complex volcano on Luzon in the Philippines. The three-peaked volcano is located at the boundary of Laguna and Quezon provinces. It is the highest mountain in both provinces ...

Mount Kitanglad Mount Kitanglad is an inactive volcano located in the Kitanglad Mountain Range in Bukidnon province on Mindanao island. It is the fourth highest mountain in the Philippines and has an approximate height of . It is located between Malaybalay a ...

Mount Apo Mount Apo is the highest mountain peak in the Philippines, with an elevation of above sea level. A large solfataric, dormant stratovolcano, it is part of the Apo-Talomo Mountain Range of Mindanao island. Apo is situated on the tripartite b ...

and

Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park The Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park is the largest protected area of the Philippines covering the northern range of the Sierra Madre mountains of eastern Luzon. The park is located in the eastern part of the province of Isabela in Cagayan ...

but like all areas in the Philippines, protection is lax and deforestation continues despite this protection on paper.

References

External links

Spilornis Endemic birds of the Philippines Eagles Birds described in 1831 {{Accipitriformes-stub