Banded Snake Eagle

Circaetus cinerascens

Other Names

  Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Banded Harrier-Eagle   Circaète cendré   Bandschlangenadler   Culebrera Coliblanca   Bandad ormörn   Kleine grijze slangenarend   Biancone cenerino

World: Africa in the northern tropics from Senegal and Gambia East through to Ethiopia and then South to southern Angola and Zimbabwe. Mostly absent from the western lowland equatorial forests.

Kenya: An uncommon species of woodland and forest edges, mostly seen W of the Rift Valley.

This is a solitary bird which is often difficult to spot. Its distribution is patchy and it is vulnerable to loss of its riverine habitat. It feeds primarily on reptiles and amphibians which it captures either on the ground or in trees. There are no breeding records for this species in East Africa but this is probably due to its secretive nature and a lack of observer records, rather than suggesting it doesn't breed in the region.