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Short-toed Snake Eagle
(Circaetus gallicus)
: "Short-toed Eagle"
German name(s): "Schlangenadler"
Size: 62-69 cm; wing span 1.6-1.8 m
Weight: 1.2-2.3 kg
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Short-toed Snake Eagles are large raptors.
Both sexes look alike.
Their plumage
The underparts are primarily grey, with a fine pattern of brown
dots on the ends of the feathers, on both wings and body.
Head, neck, mantle and upperwing coverts are dark greyish-brown.
The dark head and neck create the impression of a "bib" when seen
from below.
The flight feathers on the upperwings are darker greyish-brown
than the body plumage.
Short-toed Snake Eagles are able to raise their head feathers
into a small crest, making the head look large and fierce,
with an appearance that is similar to a harrier or an owl.
The irises are orange. The short, hooked bill is grey, with a
dark tip, while legs and feet are grey. Short-toed Snake Eagles
do not have "trousers".
Juveniles
have lighter greyish-brown head, neck, mantle and
upperwing coverts than
adults.
They also have less brown dots on their underparts.
As opposed to the
Common Buzzard, the Short-toed Snake Eagle's tail has 3 or 4
well-spaced, clearly defined bars.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See
Short-toed Snake Eagle at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Short-toed Snake Eagle is available
HERE
.
Short-toed Snake Eagles are a partly migratory, partly sedentary
species.
The only sedentary population resides on the Indian subcontinent.
Everywhere else they are migratory.
Their breeding range extends through most of southern and south-eastern
Europe (except most of Italy), eastern Europe into central western
Asia, Asia Minor and southwards to the Sinai peninsula, along the
near-coastal regions of the Middle East, into central Iran and
Kazakhstan.
There is also a breeding population in central Asia, in the border
region of Mongolia with northern China.
The migratory Eurasian population overwinters in sub-Saharan Africa,
except the eastern near-coastal region in Ethiopia towards the Red
Sea.
In Europe the Short-toed Snake Eagle is most common in Iberia
and rare elsewhere within its range (the southern half of
France, north-western Italy, all of south-eastern Europe
and eastern Europe from eastern Poland and the Baltic States
to the Caspian Sea).
With a preference for reptiles for food, Short-toed Snake Eagles
are primarily found in open, arid and often mountainous country
with scattered vegetation. In the northern parts of their range,
where arid regions are scarce, they also hunt in river valleys.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports spotting a
Short-toed Snake Eagle along Rio Douro, Miranda do Douro,
Braganca, Portugal, in May 2018, and others near Mora,
Evora, Portugal, in the period from April to September 2019.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Dorsal view of a Short-toed Snake Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]
Frontal view of a Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Douro, Miranda do Douro, Braganca, Portugal, May 2018]
Near-frontal/ventral view of a Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight;
note the predominantly light-grey underparts with darker barring
and the dark-brown head and neck
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Rio Douro, Miranda do Douro, Braganca, Portugal, May 2018]
Near-lateral view of a Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]
Near-lateral view of a Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight
seen in mellow light
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Near-lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Short-toed Snake Eagle;
note the very pale underwings, with few spots/bars
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]
Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Short-toed Snake Eagle in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, May 2020]
Social behaviour: Territorial |
Mobility: Migratory |
Elementary unit: Single/pair |
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Food, Diet |
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As their name already suggests, Short-toed Snake Eagles have a
preference for snakes and amphibians.
Short-toed Snake Eagle with its prey, a small snake or a legless lizard
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2019]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.