Western Banded Snake-Eagle

In July 2025 I got a poor photo of the backside of a western banded snake-eagle on a boat ride on the Victorian Nile between Paraa and Murchison Falls in Murchison Falls NP. As of my writing of this post, two individuals on iNaturalist have confirmed the conclusion which honestly was determined by what the iNaturalist algorithms concluded it was. I can't really tell you why it is this identification, verses some other.  

It is gray-brown with a short tail and a large head. The head, neck and breast are dark-streaked and the underparts are white white with pale brown streaks, mainly on the belly and thighs. The eyes, ears and legs are yellow and they have crested chests. It is uncommon and often difficult to spot. Its distribution is patchy and it is vulnerable to loss of its riverine habitat. 

Western banded snake-eagle illustration from Birds of the World. 

It mainly eats small snakes which are crushed by neck and then swallowed whole. It also eats also small monitor lizards, small tortoises, rodents, amphibians and some fish and insects. 

Range from Birds of the World.