Circaetus gallicus
The Short-toed Snake Eagle (*Circaetus gallicus*) is a striking medium-large raptor, measuring 62-67 cm in length with an impressive wingspan of 160-185 cm. Adults display a distinctive appearance: grey-brown upperparts contrasting sharply with pristine white underparts, often with dark streaking on the throat and breast, which can vary geographically. Its large, owl-like head, prominent bright yellow eyes, and unfeathered, pale legs are key identification marks, especially when observed soar...
This raptor prefers open, dry habitats such as steppes, savannas, Mediterranean scrubland, and light woodlands, often with scattered trees or hills for perching, typically found from sea level up to 3,000 meters in elevation.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle's diet consists almost exclusively of snakes and other reptiles like lizards, captured primarily by aerial hunting and plunging from a hover.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle is a diurnal hunter, often seen perching on prominent trees, rocks, or power poles to survey its territory. Its primary foraging strategy involves long periods of soaring and high-altitude hovering, sometimes for hours, before executing a swift, powerful plunge to captu...
The Short-toed Snake Eagle exhibits a wide Old World distribution, breeding across Southern Europe (including the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, and the Balkans), North Africa, the Middle East, and extending eastward through Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Major breeding strongholds i...
Least Concern
- Its common name is incredibly descriptive; snakes make up over 90% of its diet, a unique specialization among raptors. - It possesses unfeathered legs covered in thick scales and short, strong toes, adaptations that help it grip and resist bites from its serpentine prey. - These eagles can swal...