Apex On The Indian Sky - Crested Serpent Eagle

Pics : 1- 5 & 15 - 16 = Crested Serpent Eagle ; South Andaman | Pics : 6 - 8 = Crested Serpent Eagle ; Kabini | Pics : 9 - 14 = Andaman Serpent Eagle

Apex Predators. The description says it all and in any list of those, the Eagle is bound to be somewhere at the top. These guys have evolved for precision snatch and grab and they achieve success in their predation with total pin point accuracy. Kingfishers are pretty awesome at the hunt. Eagles take it to Astounding.

Internet searches may say otherwise but in my experience, the most commonly seen Eagle in Indian woodlands is The Crested Serpent Eagle. I’ve seen em pretty much in every reserve that I’ve been to all around the country. They’re snake specialists like the name says and easily recognizable by the crest on their heads. Now the thing I find common among these Apex guys is that they don’t scare easy. Tigers and Lions are Apex not Leopards. The difference is that a Tiger or Lion will walk right at a convoy of vehicles on the road and maneuver around each vehicle individually without going around the lot. It’s not in his nature to give way. They will intentionally let you know who the boss is even if all the noise around the vehicles is uncomfortable. The Leopard will skirt around the convoy. That’s his strategy. The same goes in the attitude difference between say a Shikra, a very proficient raptor in his own right and an Eagle who will stand his ground even if you get the vehicle right up to the tree. There’s no backing off for the apex predator. If anything, you get a stern look that says it all. Hey I’m not complaining. It makes for awesome pictures and is the main reason most of us get such good pictures of the guys at the top of the food chain and many of my kind stay right there completely fascinated. The big boys don’t know fear. It’s the smaller ones though who are hard to get to cause they play the stealth game.

Plucking out snakes in the dense forests of Manas and the Andamans isn’t an easy task but you know what they say about when the going gets tough? The Serpent Eagle has eagle vision. Eyesight when compared to us translates to upto eight times better than a Human with 20/20 vision. So an Eagle can see at 20 feet what a Human with perfect vision can see at five feet. In photographer terms, he’s packing more MPs in his sensor, a longer telephoto lens and the ability to zoom and that’s why he goes after things that you and I can’t even see. They can magnify the central part of their field of vision. Pretty cool huh and smart if you think about it as the strategy eliminates competition by selection. They’re not making enemies of the other Apex guys around by going after their food. They’re not immune to venom but when you’re launching at 120 to 160 kmph from above at a target who hasn’t seen you even, you kinda get to pick and choose how you grab your prey. The talons and beak can’t get stung and once the snatch is done all the Eagle has to do is drop the target again if it’s being too feisty and his job’s done really.

The Crested Serpent Eagle goes after snakes with a preference for tree snakes usually. They also prey on lizards, toads, small mammals, eels, birds and earthworm. They build large nests high up on tall trees. Sentry duty is a necessity not an option for these guys and it shows. Being high up also provides security. Not everyone goes where Eagles dare. There are many local variations to the species and I saw the Andaman Serpent Eagle along with the Crested Serpent Eagle in Sri Vijayapuram and other woodlands of South Andaman. The differences are slight as you can see ( Pics : 9 -14 ) but noticeable. It’s mostly size and weight that varies in the different sub species of the Crested Serpent Eagle. The juveniles of the species are usually lighter and they change to the spotted brown on adulthood. They are found throughout India, South East Asia and East Asia. The Indian Crested Serpent Eagles tend to reuse and refurbish their nests while the ones over in Penang, Malaysia build new nests every year.

Now I know I’ve sung my praises of Kites and Shikras and it’s true that the modern world has facilitated their success. It’s also true that the modern world isn’t as hospitable to the Eagle anymore. Kites and Shikras are very adept raptors and it’s all good really till the big boy becomes part of the same discussion and the Eagle is just that.

There’s a reason why the Eagle is probably on more flags and symbols of war and courage for Humans than any other creature. It’s about what the Eagle signifies and how we have seen it over centuries. The prevalence of smaller raptors near human settlements doesn’t bother Eagles because that hunting ground isn’t their preference in the first place. We also have to consider who's dodging who here among the Raptors.

When you’re an Eagle, that IS the statement. Nuff said. Period.