Abstract
Gastric contents of 16 individual Crested Serpent Eagles Spilornis cheela were investigated. The birds were collected between 2000 and 2010 from both Iriomote and Ishigaki Islands, Yaeyama Archipelago, Okinawa, Japan. From 11 of 14 stomachs, a total of 13 types of stomach contents were identified, including crabs, earthworms, locusts, cicadas, frogs, lizards, turtles, birds, plants and grit. The identification of each stomach item, and the dried weight, are listed in Table 1 and 2. In samples from Iriomote Island, 13 contents were found, but only three items were found from the Ishigaki Island samples. Crabs were the most common food items, and were identified from both islands. The results suggested that the eagles’ food items vary in accordance with the seasons. Also, considering the parasites also identified, it is suggested that the eagles fed on more food items that were not observed in their gastric contents.
