NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Philippine Serpent Eagle
Spilornis holospilus (Vigors, 1831)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Philippine serpent eagle (Spilornis holospilus) is an eagle found in the major islands of the Philippines. It is sometimes treated as a race of the crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela). This species is usually found in forest clearings, open woodlands, and sometimes in cultivated lands with scattered trees. It is endemic to the Philippines. The species is found on most part of the major islands, except for Palawan.
It is illegal to hunt, capture or possess Philippine serpent eagles under Philippine Law RA 9147.
Wikipedia contributors, Philippine serpent eagle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:48:55.790656+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spilornis holospilus (Vigors, 1831)
- Name authority
- (Vigors, 1831)
- Common name
- Philippine Serpent Eagle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Spilornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusSpilornis G. R. Gray, 1840
- speciesSpilornis holospilus (Vigors, 1831)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spilornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Crested Serpent EagleSpilornis cheela (Latham, 1790) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Andaman Serpent EagleSpilornis elgini (Blyth, 1863) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great Nicobar Serpent EagleSpilornis klossi Richmond, 1902 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sulawesi Serpent EagleSpilornis rufipectus Gould, 1858 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mountain Serpent EagleSpilornis kinabaluensis W. L. Sclater, 1919 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Buteo holospilus Vigors, 1831 Vigors, 1831 | synonym |
| Spilornis cheela holospilus (Vigors, 1831) (Vigors, 1831) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175508 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4Z4FP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.