NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western Banded Snake Eagle
Circaetus cinerascens J. W. Müller, 1851
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 western banded snake eagle (Circaetus cinerascens) is a grey-brown African raptor with a short tail and a large head. Juveniles have paler and browner upper parts than adults, with white-edged feathers. The eagle's head, neck and breast are dark-streaked. The underparts are white with pale brown streaks, mainly on belly and thighs. Subadults may be all dark grey-brown without any streak on underparts. The eyes, ears, and legs are yellow. They have crested chests.
Wikipedia contributors, Western banded snake eagle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:43:21.093114+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Circaetus cinerascens J. W. Müller, 1851
- Name authority
- J. W. Müller, 1851
- Common name
- Western Banded Snake Eagle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Circaetus
- 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
- genusCircaetus Vieillot, 1816
- speciesCircaetus cinerascens J. W. Müller, 1851
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Circaetus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-chested Snake EagleCircaetus pectoralis A. Smith, 1829 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown Snake EagleCircaetus cinereus Vieillot, 1818 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Banded Snake EagleCircaetus fasciolatus Kaup, 1847 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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.
- Müller, Johann Wilhelm von. (1851). Diagnosen der in dem ersten Bande der Beiträge zur Ornithologie Africa’s von John Wilhelm von Müller enthaltenen neuen Species. Naumannia: Archiv Für Die Ornithologie Vorzugsweise Europa’s: Organ Der Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft, Vol. 1. 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:VFS6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.