Southern Banded Snake Eagle
Circaetus fasciolatus
The Southern Banded Snake Eagle (Circaetus fasciolatus) is a rare kites, old world vultures, eagles, and hawk found in 5 countries, weighing about 1.0 kg. The southern banded snake eagle, also known as the East African snake eagle or fasciated snake eagle, is a species of snake eagle in the family Accipitridae which is found in eastern Sub-Saharan Africa.










About the Southern Banded Snake Eagle
The southern banded snake eagle, also known as the East African snake eagle or fasciated snake eagle, is a species of snake eagle in the family Accipitridae which is found in eastern Sub-Saharan Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The southern banded snake eagle is a rather small, stocky snake eagle with a large, rounded head which has a hooded beak. It has a grey-brown head contrasting slightly with the mainly blackish-brown upperparts and whitish underparts. The tail has a white tip and shows three distinct dark bands on the underside. The large eyes are pale yellow eyes, the feet and cere are yellow and the bill us black. The juvenile lacks the grey head, has mainly dark upperparts and the whitish pale underparts are marked with dark streaks on the face, throat and upper breast. Voice: The southern banded snake eagle is unobtrusive and is normally found due to its noisy, high-pitched call, "ko-ko-ko-kaw", repeatedly made either from a perch or while in flight.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Southern Banded Snake Eagle can be seen all year round, with peak activity in December. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Southern Banded Snake Eagle?
- The southern banded snake eagle is a rather small, stocky snake eagle with a large, rounded head which has a hooded beak. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Southern Banded Snake Eagle?
- The Southern Banded Snake Eagle is a large sized bird weighing about 1.0 kg.
- Where can you see a Southern Banded Snake Eagle?
- The Southern Banded Snake Eagle occurs in 5 countries, including South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- What birds look similar to a Southern Banded Snake Eagle?
- The Southern Banded Snake Eagle is most easily confused with the Beaudouin's Snake Eagle, the Western Banded Snake Eagle and the Black-chested Snake Eagle.
- Is the Southern Banded Snake Eagle endangered?
- The Southern Banded Snake Eagle is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Southern Banded Snake Eagle for real
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