Black-chested Snake Eagle

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Madikwe Game Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Black-chested Snake Eagle is most recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (23% of records), Northern Cape (22% of records), Limpopo (21% of records), based on 921 iNaturalist observations. 44 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Black-chested Snake Eagle on site or nearby.

The Black-chested Snake Eagle is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May; Sabi Sand Game Reserve: year-round, dry season May-Sep optimal; Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The black-chested snake eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. It resembles other snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the short-toed and Beaudouin's snake eagles.