| Circaetus | |
|---|---|
 Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) | |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Circaetus |
Circaetus or snake eagles, is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey in the Accipitridae family.
These are mainly resident African species, but the migratory short-toed snake eagle breeds from the Mediterranean basin into Russia, the Middle East and India, and winters in Sub-Saharan Africa and east to Indonesia.
Snake eagles are found in open habitats like cultivated plains arid savanna, but require trees in which to build a stick nest. The single egg is incubated mainly or entirely by the female.
Circaetus eagles have a rounded head and broad wings. They prey on reptiles, mainly snakes, but also take lizards and occasionally small mammals.
Species[]
Beaudouin's Snake Eagle (Verreaux & Des Murs, 1862) (Circaetus beaudouini) Western Banded Snake Eagle (von Müller, 1851) (Circaetus cinerascens) Brown Snake Eagle (Vieillot, 1818) (Circaetus cinereus) Southern Banded Snake Eagle (Kaup, 1850) (Circaetus fasciolatus) Short-toed Snake Eagle (Gmelin, 1788) (Circaetus gallicus) Black-chested Snake Eagle (A. Smith, 1829) (Circaetus pectoralis)
Fossil Record[]
Circaetus rhodopensis (late Miocene of Bulgaria) Circaetus haemusensis (early Pleistocene of Bulgaria)