Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

59–70 cmLength180 cmWingspan1.7 kgWeight

This raptor has whitish underparts and bright yellow eyes, and often circles over hillsides in search of snakes.

Busiest months: September · Most records: Spain, Portugal, India

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Underparts largely white; upperparts gray-brown
Head rounded like that of an owl; eyes bright yellow
Chin, throat and upper breast pale earthy-brown
Tail has 3–4 bands; underwing barring faint

Voice

Usually very quiet, occasionally giving a few melodious whistles.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: September · Most records: Spain, Portugal, India

Short-toed Snake Eagle has been recorded at 808 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 90 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Observatorio de CazallaSpain9,513 records
Algeciras – Observatorio de AlgarroboSpain7,806 records
PN Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina – CabranosaPortugal1,909 records

More places

LindusSpain1,749 records
Casares – CastilloSpain993 records
Bardena – Galugah Raptor Count SiteIran893 records
Monfragüe PN – Peña Falcón/Salto del GitanoSpain775 records
International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel744 records
La Janda – ÁreaSpain739 records
Perímetro Florestal do Barão de São JoãoPortugal653 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Portugal India Israel Greece Türkiye Bulgaria Iran

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus name Circaetus is from the Ancient Greek kirkos, a type of hawk, and aetos, "eagle". The specific gallicus means "of Gallia".

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Short-toed Snake Eagle?

The Short-toed Snake Eagle is about 59–70 cm long, with a wingspan of 180 cm and weighs around 1.7 kg.

Where does the Short-toed Snake Eagle live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: southwestern Europe to Central Asia, northwestern China and India; Lesser Sundas. It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and India.