Brown Snake Eagle
Circaetus cinereus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusCircaetus (Snake-Eagles)
- SpeciesCircaetus cinereus (Brown Snake Eagle)
The brown snake eagle (Circaetus cinereus) is a fairly large species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is found in West, East and southern Africa. This species is an almost obligate predator of a variety of snakes. A very solitary bird, the brown snake eagle has a prolonged breeding cycle and raises a single eaglet. Although probably naturally scarce, it is classified as a least concern species as it continues to occur over a very broad range. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Snake Eagle sighting in Pilanesberg National Park, based on 18 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Pilanesberg National Park
Black-breasted Snake Eagle
Circaetus pectoralis
Black-winged Kite
Elanus caeruleus
African Fish-Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
Gabar Goshawk
Micronisus gabar
Common Buzzard
Buteo buteo
European Honey-buzzard
Pernis apivorus
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
African Hawk-Eagle
Aquila spilogaster
Pale Chanting Goshawk
Melierax canorus
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Verreaux's Eagle
Aquila verreauxii
Wahlberg's Eagle
Hieraaetus wahlbergi
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Brown Snake Eagle in Pilanesberg National Park?
About 6% of wildlife watchers report a Brown Snake Eagle sighting in Pilanesberg National Park, based on 18 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Brown Snake Eagle in Pilanesberg National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Brown Snake Eagle in Pilanesberg National Park in our monthly data.