Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)

Measurements: 0.62-0.67m long; wingspan 1.70-1.85m

This is the only eagle that regularly hovers, holding its position high above a rocky hillside by quick flaps of its rather broad wings. It will also fly slowly over the ground at 15-30m up, and will sometimes simply hang in the air on an updraft. This apparently lethargic method of operation is an adaptation for finding its major prey, snakes. Up to 80% of the diet may be made up of these reptiles, and much of the rest consists of lizards, with just the odd small mammal or bird taken occasionally. Once a snake is sighted the Short-toed Eagle goes into action, swooping down very fast and then, just before the strike, usually hovering low to fine-tune its assault. The reptile is seized on the ground and killed by gripping, or by crushing the skull. It is then swallowed whole and head-first, or if it is very large (snakes up to 1.2m long have been recorded), it will be torn apart on site. After swallowing the bird may sometimes be seen to fly off and resume hunting with the tail of the snake still showing in its throat.

By Hari K Patibanda – A Short Toed Snake Eagle Taking Off, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110198370

Not surprisingly, given its diet, the Short-toed Eagle is a summer visitor to Europe, and it tends to occur in warm climates. Reasonably open habitats with rocks and scrub seem to suit snakes best, but the eagle also requires some tree cover nearby in which to build what is an inconspicuous and unexpectedly small nest.

This bird is more vocal than most other large birds of prey, making loud and frequent whistling sounds during the breeding season. Male and female indulge in some mutual circling routines, and the male sometimes carries a snake in its bill, but compared with many birds of prey the aerial displays are brief and unspectacular.

From ‘Birds: A Complete Guide to All British and European Species’, by Dominic Couzens. Published by Collins and reproduced with permission.