Photo: Tisha Mukherjee / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Short-toed Snake Eagle
Circaetus gallicus
Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) — Birds of Prey of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 20 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) is a member of the Accipitridae family found in Australia & Oceania, Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 1.7 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Accipitriformes
- Family Accipitridae Kites, Hawks, Eagles
- Genus Circaetus
- Species gallicus
Where it lives
Southwestern Europe to central Asia, northwestern China and India; Lesser Sundas
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1.7 kg
- Diet
- Vertebrate hunters
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Endangered
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Short-toed Snake Eagle preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Behaviour
A bird of open woodland, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Short-toed Snake Eagle is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) is a member of the Accipitridae family, within the order Accipitriformes. It is found across Australia & Oceania, Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers PAL, OR, AU sw Europe to c Asia, nw China and India; Lesser Sundas.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.7 kg, with a wing length of about 53.7 cm and a tail of around 28 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 12.7 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Short-toed Snake Eagle?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle is a very large bird that weighs around 1.7 kg.
Where does the Short-toed Snake Eagle live?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle is found across Australia & Oceania, Europe & Northern Asia and South & Southeast Asia with a range covering PAL, OR, AU sw Europe to c Asia, nw China and India; Lesser Sundas, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Short-toed Snake Eagle belong to?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) belongs to the Accipitridae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Short-toed Snake Eagle eat?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle preys mainly on other vertebrates.
Does the Short-toed Snake Eagle migrate?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Short-toed Snake Eagle endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Short-toed Snake Eagle make?
1 real field recording of the Short-toed Snake Eagle — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Short-toed Snake Eagle's range?
The Short-toed Snake Eagle has a mapped global range of about 12.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
Explore more birds
More in Accipitridae
Vulnerable
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Critically Endangered
More in Birds of Prey
Least Concern
Least Concern
Endangered
Near Threatened
Endangered
Guides for this bird
Meet the Accipitridae
A field guide to the Accipitridae family — 254 species in the Birbs encyclopedia, with the best-known members to start with.