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Short-Toed Eagle

Short-Toed Eagle Identification Guide

Short-Toed Eagle

Key facts

Scientific name: Circaetus gallicus
UK status: Accidental (rare vagrant)
Global conservation status: Least concern
Length: 62 – 69 cm
Wingspan: 170 – 185 cm
Weight: 1.2–2.3 kg

Description

The short-toed eagle, also known as the short-toed snake eagle, is a large bird of prey with a large, rounded head, long, broad wings, and a short tail.

Its upperparts are grey-brown, while its underparts are silvery-white, with a light sandy brown hue on the upper breast, throat, and chin. The tail has three or four darker bands. The head is typically dark with bright yellow eyes although it may sometimes be pale. Its beak is dark grey, and its bare legs are yellow.

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Diet

Short-toed eagles primarily feed on reptiles, especially snakes, but also consume lizards, chameleons, and geckos. They will also prey on small mammals like rabbits and rodents, and occasionally eat birds, frogs, and insects.

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Jorge Leitão/xeno-canto

Range and habitat

The short-toed eagle is found across the Mediterranean, Russia, the Middle East, parts of Western Asia and India, as well as some Indonesian islands. Populations in the northern range migrate to sub-Saharan Africa. It inhabits open landscapes with scattered trees, including grasslands, scrublands, and cultivated plains.

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