The short-toed snake eagle is a large-sized raptor found in the Indian subcontinent and throughout the Mediterranean region. It has an owl-like rounded head, bright yellow eyes, a smallish beak and long bare legs with short talons. Its short talons and preference for snakes as food give it its name – short-toed snake eagle. It is a grayish-brown coloured bird with a white underside speckled with brown spots.
Although it feeds mainly on snakes, it will also eat lizards, small mammals and birds. This raptor generally hunts from a great height, soaring about 450 metres above the ground. It can also hover for short periods and swoop down in a long, shallow dive to grab its prey. It prefers a patchwork habitat with woodlands inter-spaced with dry open spaces in which to hunt.
Unlike the crested serpent-eagle, this raptor is usually very silent. Occasionally it will emit a series of musical whistling notes. It prefers to make its nest high up in a tall tree in a secluded area. It typically lays only one egg and is known to restore and reuse the same nest every year. It can live up to 30 years in the wild, with an average age of 17 years.
Although it is not yet a threatened species, its numbers are sharply declining due to loss of habitat. Also, since it generally preys on snakes, illegal killing and habitat destruction of snakes also affects the short-toed snake eagle.
Picture Credit : Google
