Spilornis elgini
SUBFAMILY
Accipitrinae
TAXONOMY
Haematornis elgini Blyth, 1863, South Andaman Island. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Andaman dark serpent eagle; French: Serpentaire des Andaman; German: Andamanenschlangenweihe; Spanish: Culebrera de Andamán.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
19.3–21.3 in (49–54 cm); 27.9–35.3 oz (790–1,000 g). Plumage mainly dark brown with small white spots.
DISTRIBUTION
Andaman Islands.
HABITAT
Mainly forests and forest clearings of inland, occasionally on hillsides with scattered trees.
BEHAVIOR
Sedentary.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Not well known. Takes a variety of prey, including birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, and rats; perhaps catches mainly reptiles, as do other serpent-eagles.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Mutual soaring and calling over territory. No other information. Perhaps a small clutch, of one egg, as S. cheela.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Near Threatened. Most numerous raptor in the Andaman Islands but listed as rare or Near Threatened because of very small distributional range and anticipated increasing threats. Hunting is common and may also be a problem for the eagle.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
