Snake-eater - detachment of birds of prey diurnal, hawk family
Common Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus). Habitats - Asia, Africa, Europe. Wingspan 1.8 m. Weight 2.5 kg
Serpent-eaters are specialists in the destruction of poisonous reptiles. Some, except for snakes, do not eat anything. Such a diet even restrains the spread of these hawks.
On the other hand, a pair of outcasts belong to the serpent-eaters, which do not feed on snakes at all. One of them is the buffoon eagle. Otherwise, this bird is called a buffoon - for a colorful appearance. The tail is short, the beak and legs are orange. The back is reddish-brown, the feathers on the chest and neck are black, with a bluish tint. Buffoon eagles attack snakes and monitor lizards, birds. Can kill a hornbill. Rodents and lagomorphs also often become their prey.
Many snake-eaters have chosen the warm corners of Asia, where there are a lot of snakes. Some live on the coasts of the Andaman Sea, settle on the islands and peninsulas of Indochina. Others have chosen the subtropical rainforests of Indonesia. The Congolese serpent eagle lives in Africa. It can be found under the canopy of rainforests, where these birds prey not only on snakes, but also on chameleons and amphibians. Congolese snake-eaters are well tamed and can protect a person's home from creeping visitors.
As the name of the bird suggests, its main food is snakes, including poisonous ones. The predator looks out for prey, soaring high in the air, and then, with folded wings, falls like a stone on it. The main fighting technique is to grab the snake by the head with its claws so that it cannot reach the body of the bird and bite. The snake-eater swallows the whole snake without tearing it into pieces. Serpent-eaters are monogamous, pairs are constant. Birds nest on tall, isolated trees, less often on rocks, from year to year adhering to the same site. Clutch contains 1 or 2 perfectly white eggs.
On the territory of Russia, an ordinary serpent eagle is found. This bird is rare, included in the Red Book of the country. In addition, very shy and cautious. It occurs in mixed forests and in the forest-steppe. Outside of Russia, it lives on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, in Asia Minor, the Middle East, and northern Mongolia. In the south of Europe, it is most often seen in Spain. A constantly large population of common short-toed eagles lives in India. The specifics of the nutrition of the common short-toed eagle can be judged by the small nest of this bird. It often contains snake skin. The most frequent victims in Russia are vipers and snakes. Adult birds also feed their chicks with them. They bring an almost completely swallowed snake into the nest, and the chick literally pulls it out of the parent's esophagus. You can imagine the corresponding sensations if you have ever had a gastric tube inserted. The only difference is that the serpent eagles have a thinner throat, and the snake is also scaly. Then the chick reorients the snake with its head towards itself and in turn begins to push it into its own stomach. In general, this is not an easy thing to eat snakes.
The Sulawesi crested serpent eagle is endemic to Indonesia.
The name of this feathered predator suggests that the basis of its diet is snakes, although it also preys on lizards, some amphibians and small mammals. The snake-eater has many names. In almost all languages, his name means "snake eater". Only the British call this bird "short-fingered eagle", which is not entirely true. But the specific name is translated from Latin as “chubby”, which quite accurately characterizes the shape of the head of this bird.
The way of life of the snake-eater has not been studied in great detail, because they are not often found. Nevertheless, the observations of ornithologists made it possible to find out that these unusual representatives of hawks are not only harsh gloomy hunters. The female and the male often play merrily, frolicking and chasing each other. Serpent-eaters are not uncommon timid birds. At the nest, they always behave extremely secretively, they fly away from it, barely seeing the approach of a person. Even a grown chick never tries to defend itself with its beak or claws, as the chicks of other birds of prey do - it simply hides in the nest.
The serpent eagle is a very rare endangered bird species, listed in the Red Book of Russia.
May worries
The snake-eater chooses a wooded area, as it equips its nests in trees high from the ground, occasionally on rocky slopes. Birds living in the northern territories leave their inhabited areas in autumn, returning only by May. During this period, a bird pair equips an old nest or builds a new one. The dwelling is quite small, so that an adult bird can hardly fit in it. It consists of dry branches, lined with foliage, grass and scraps of snake skins. Birds insert branches with green leaves into the nest, which provide additional camouflage and help hide the nest from sunlight.
Mating is preceded by mating games, when the birds, chasing each other, soar up and, after describing several circles, sharply decrease. In late spring, the female lays a single egg. Incubation lasts about 45-48 days. Basically, the female does this, and the male hunts, supplying food to his girlfriend, and only sometimes they change roles for a while.
Childhood with snakes
The chick is covered with downy white feathers, gradually this outfit is replaced by the plumage characteristic of adult birds. Parents take care of the chick until it leaves the nest, that is, 70-80 days after hatching. The male and female feed him with snakes, which they catch, swallow (but not completely) and bring to the nest. The chick gradually pulls out the snake, grabbing it by the tail. Having pulled the prey out of the parent's throat, the young serpent-eater itself begins to swallow it.
The chick feeds exclusively on reptiles, and already at an older age, it begins to eat other animals. Fully fledged and grown young birds go for prey on their own. As a rule, their parents do not teach them how to hunt snakes, the chicks manage on their own, deftly capturing snakes with sharp claws and attacking them with their beak.
It is very difficult for parents to feed even one chick, and this is one of the reasons for the low number of short-toed snake-eaters.
dangerous food
In the cold season, snakes fall into suspended animation and remain motionless in their shelter for a long time. Short-toed eagles begin to hunt actively only at the end of May, when the sun warms the earth well, and the snakes crawl out of their shelters. The daily routine of birds depends on the activity of snakes and weather conditions. Usually hunting begins closer to noon and ends quite early, until it gets dark.
Mostly snake-eaters catch snakes and snakes, but they also happen to deal with truly dangerous snakes: a viper, viper or muzzle. That is why the movements of the short-toed eagle are fast and precise, because a mistake or delay can lead to the fact that the bird will miss the prey or get a bite. Usually, dexterity and quick reaction help the predator to avoid danger, besides, its legs are covered with horn shields that protect against snake attacks. However, there are also failures. Snake venom is not harmless to birds, although it is not always fatal. A snake-eater that has been bitten by a snake can get sick and recover for a rather long time. Predators hunt not only from the air, sometimes they pursue their prey on the ground or in shallow water.
narrow ration
Animals such as the short-toed eagle with a highly specialized diet are called stenophages. This phenomenon is characteristic of many insects, certain types worms, crustaceans and mollusks and is much less common among mammals and birds.
The most famous stenophages are the marsupial koala bear, which feeds on eucalyptus leaves, and the giant panda, which eats the young shoots of several types of bamboo.
On the one hand, stenophagy helps to mitigate competition among species close in terms of food regimen, on the other hand, when habitat conditions change, it leads to the threat of extinction or sharp fluctuations in the population size.
a brief description of serpent eagle
Class: birds
Squad: falconiformes
Family: hawksbill
Genus: real snake-eaters
View: snake-eater
Other names: serpent eagle, krachun
Latin name: Circaetus gallicus or Circaetus ferox
Size: body length - 67-72 cm, wing length - 50 cm, wingspan - 160-190 cm
Weight: 1.2-2.3 kg
Coloring: the top is brownish-gray with blurry streaks, the bottom is light with streaks, the head, neck and goiter are brown, the tail is transverse brown striped
Lifespan: about 17 years old.
All year round
Wintering places
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Description
A very rare endangered bird species, listed in the Red Book of Russia and the Red Book of Belarus.
One of the most shy and distrustful feathered predators in relation to humans.
Total length - 67-72 cm, wingspan 160-190 cm, wing length 52-60 cm. Females are larger than males, but are colored the same as them. The color of the dorsal side of the bird is grayish-brown, young birds are similar in color to adults,.
Inhabits the zone of mixed forests and forest-steppe. They nest in Northwest Africa, in South and partly in Central Europe, in the Caucasus (with the exception of the steppe Ciscaucasia and the Caspian region), in Asia Minor, in the Middle East, Central Asia, Southwestern Siberia, in the northern part of Mongolia, in the south to Pakistan and India.
Nesting
In the northern parts of the nesting area (Russia, Central Europe) a migratory bird. In the north it inhabits forests, in the south - dry areas, at least with individual trees. In Russia, it reliably or presumably breeds in the Bashkir, Bryansk forests, Kabardino-Balkarian, Caucasian, Kaluga zaseks, Mordovian, Oksky, Khopersky and some other reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.
The snake-eater is very secretive, cautious, silent. For nesting, it chooses parts of the forest remote from humans with glades and swamps, convenient for hunting. It builds small nests, no larger than those of a buzzard, loose and somehow careless; an adult bird simply does not fit in it - and the head is visible, and the tail sticks out from the outside. There is no fiction in the lining of the tray either - only green twigs and snake scales.
It nests high from the ground on isolated trees or on forest edges (occasionally on rocks). Nests are small buildings built by the birds themselves and used for several years. There is usually one white egg in the clutch (in exceptional cases up to 2 eggs, but in the second egg the embryo always dies, because its incubation stops after the chick hatches from the first egg). Both parents incubate the eggs for about 40 days. On the wing, the chicks become on the 70-80th day of life.
The short-toed snake-eater feeds its chicks mainly on snakes, although adult birds often feed on other reptiles, amphibians, small animals and field birds. Stenophagy sharply narrows the nesting area of the short-toed eagle.
Feeding the chicks
The procedure for feeding a chick is extraordinarily complicated. First, the chick grabs the snake by the tail and begins to pull it from the parent's throat. For adult bird this operation is hardly pleasant, especially since the snake scales are directed backwards. Sometimes this stretching lasts 5-10 minutes or more, depending on the size of the snake. Finally, pulling the prey out of the mouth of the parents, the chick begins to swallow it itself, and also necessarily from the head (by mistake, starting from the tail, it immediately spits it out). It swallows a long snake for a long time - up to half an hour or more. Twice we happened to see how the serpent-eater brought a still-living snake and a viper into the nest. Pulled out of the throat, the snake began to move, and it was not easy for an inexperienced chick to grab its head. A curious detail in this regard (possibly accidental): a live viper was immediately intercepted by the paw by the head by an adult bird sitting on the nest, while the chick was given the opportunity to cope with the wriggling snake.
Galushin, V. M. - Birds of prey of the forest (M., 1990)
Gallery
Notes
Literature
- I.V. Karyakin. Serpent-eater (Circaetus gallicus) // Feathered predators of the Ural region. Falconiformes (Falconiformes) and Owls (Strigiformes). Perm: Center for Field Research of the Union for the Protection of Animals of the Urals / Social and Ecological Union, 1998. - 483 p.
- G.P. Dementiev. Serpent-eater (Circaetus gallicus) // Birds of the Soviet Union, v.1. - M.: Sov. the science. 1951
- Galushin, V. M. - Birds of prey of the forest (M., 1990)
Categories:
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- Animals described in 1788
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Synonyms:See what "Snake" is in other dictionaries:
Serpent Eater… Spelling Dictionary
snake-eater- Circaetus gallicus see also 7.1.11. Genus Serpent-eater Circaetus Serpent-eater Circaetus gallicus Large large-headed bird with long wings (a span of more than one and a half meters), large yellow eyes, blue-gray (and not yellow, like most ... ... Birds of Russia. Directory
ZMEEYAD, large predatory bird(hawk family). Wingspan up to 1.9 m. The serpent eagle is common in Eurasia and North Africa. It hunts reptiles (especially snakes), less often small rodents. In Russia (from Lake Ladoga to the southern regions ... ... Modern Encyclopedia
Systematic position
Class: Birds - Aves.
Squad: Falconiformes - Falconiformes.
Family: Hawks - Accipitridae.
View: Serpent-eater - Circaetus gallicus (Gmelin, 1788)
Status.
1A "In critical condition" - 1A, KS. in category "2 - Decreasing in numbers" with the status - sporadically distributed species with declining numbers. In the Red Book of the USSR, it is classified as “III. Species declining in numbers "with the status - a rare species with a gradually declining population.
Global population endangered category on the IUCN Red List
"Low Risk Taxon" - Lower Risk, LC ver. 3.1 (2001).
Category according to IUCN Red List criteria
The regional population is classified as Critically Endangered, CR D. R. A. Mnatsekanov.
Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation
Included in Appendix II of CITES.
Brief morphological description
Relatively large predator, length 67–72 cm, wingspan 170–185 cm, weight 1.2–2.3 kg. Sexual dimorphism in coloration is not expressed. In an adult bird, the general coloration of the back is brownish-gray, the flight feathers are black-brown, and the tail feathers are pale brown.
There are dark transverse stripes on the wings and tail below. The underside of the body is light, in some birds with a longitudinal brown trunk pattern, in others with a brown throat and goiter and with rare brown transverse spots on the chest, belly, sides or a wide brown longitudinal pattern on the goiter and chest.
There are individuals with a white head, streaked with brown stems. The head is large with large yellow eyes. The paws are bluish, the tarsus is covered with polygonal small shields. Juveniles are generally paler in color, with a buffy tinge on the dorsal side. It differs from the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in flight by its wider wings, the absence of a dark spot on the wing fold, and a dark crop.
Spreading
The global range includes Africa, southern and central Europe, Southwestern and Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, India, Lesser Sunda Islands. In the Russian Federation, it is distributed in the European part south of the middle taiga, in the Caucasus, in the south of Western and central Siberia. Breeding, migratory species on the territory of KK. The regional range of the short-toed eagle in KK is represented by several localities.
The largest section covers the territory within the borders of formations of regional significance - Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk and Anapa. Isolated small areas are located near Krasnodar, in Seversky, Belorechensky and Mostovsky districts, in Goryachiy Klyuch, some pairs may nest on the Taman Peninsula. On migration it occurs in the flat part of the region and in the mountains from the Black Sea coast to the border with the KChR.
Features of biology and ecology
Inhabits mosaic biotopes represented by patches of forest and large open spaces. Usually nests are arranged in trees near the edge of the forest. Building from dry branches, without lining, but with green fresh branches. In laying, as a rule, 1 egg, less often 2. Laying in April-May.
Both birds take part in incubation, which lasts a little more than a month. The chick stays in the nest for about 10 weeks. The spring migration usually takes place in March–April, but in some cases single migrating individuals are observed in May. The duration of spring migration reaches 57 days.
In autumn, birds migrate in August-September. Separate individuals under favorable climatic conditions linger on the Black Sea coast until November. The basis of food is reptiles and amphibians, more rarely small mammals and birds are consumed.
Within the territory of North Caucasus In the diet of the short-toed eagle, the following were recorded: steppe viper (Pelias renardi), agile lizard (Lacerta agilis), snake snake (Coluber). Prey often carries in the beak, less often in the paws. During the hunt, it can hang in one place.
Numbers and trends
In Europe (without Turkey), 5-9 thousand pairs of short-toed eagle nest, in Russia the number is estimated differently: from 1 thousand pairs for the whole country to 1-3 thousand pairs for its European part. In the Southern region, 100–250 pairs breed; in KK, the abundance of the species is estimated as consistently low and does not exceed 6–8 breeding pairs.
A rare species regularly encountered on migration. Usually birds fly singly or in groups of 2-3 individuals. The maximum number of individuals recorded during one day of counting reached 3 individuals in spring and 11 individuals in autumn.
Limiting factors
The natural limiting factor is the low reproductive capacity of the species. Anthropic factors include: transformation and reduction of habitats due to the involvement of new territories in economic and recreational activities, an increase in the pressure of anxiety, and the direct destruction of birds. Reducing the number of food objects.
Necessary and additional security measures
Creation of a natural park, including the territory of the ridge. Markoth. Implementation of the provisions of Art. 28 of the Federal Law "On the Animal World" on the prohibition of burning vegetation. Inventory of nesting sites, monitoring of the state of the population. Ecological education of the population.
Sources of information. 1. Averin, Nasimovich, 1938; 2. Belik, 2005; 3. Volchanetsky et al., 1962; 4. Galushin, 2001b; 5. Dementiev, 1951c; 6. Koblik, 2001a; 7. Mnatsekanov and Tilba, 2002a; 8. Ochapovsky, 1967a; 9. Pererva, 1984a; 10. Peklo, Ochapovsky, 1976; 11. Stepanyan, 2001; 12. IUCN, 2004; 13. Unpublished data of the compiler. Compiled. R. A. Mnatsekanov.
Image (photo): https://www.arkive.org/short-toed-snake-eagle/circaetus-gallicus/image-G42965.html
serpent-eater bird
(Circaetus gallicus) is a medium-sized member of the hawk family, an order that also includes many other diurnal predators such as the kite, vulture, and harrier. The genus name Circaetus comes from the Ancient Greek Kirkos, a type of hawk, and Ethos "eagle". The specific translation of gallicus means "Gaul".
Adults reach a height of 62-67 cm with a wingspan of 170-185 cm and a weight of 1.2-2.3 kg. They can be recognized in the field by their predominantly white underparts, the upper parts being greyish brown. The chin, throat, and upper chest are pale, earthy brown in color. These have a rounded head with bright yellow eyes.
He is an accomplished flier and spends more time flying than most members of his kind. This is aided by soaring flight over hillsides and high ground, and they do most of their hunting from this position at altitudes up to 500 m (1,600 ft). often hovering like a kestrel.
Behavior.
Eats snake-eater reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Sometimes hunting turns into a battle with large snakes on the ground. They sometimes prey on small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, and rarely on birds and large insects.
When breeding snake-eater lays only one egg. He can live up to 17 years. Short-toed eagle populations have suffered in Europe and are currently declining in a number of countries due to changes in agriculture and land use. The snake-eater needs protection. In the middle and far eastern parts of its range, this species is not yet endangered.
historical material.
In his description of the species, Buffon says that he kept one of these birds in captivity and observed its behavior. Captive birds ate mice and frogs, and he claims they were well known to French farmers for killing birds.
Range and habitat serpent eagle. Found throughout the Mediterranean basin, in Russia and the Middle East, as well as in parts of Asia, mainly in the Indian subcontinent, and also further east on some Indonesian islands.
Present on the northern Mediterranean coast and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator in September/October and return in April/May.
It occurs in open plains, in areas with shrubs, rocky, arid, deciduous, foothill and semi-desert areas. The short-toed eagle requires trees for nesting and open habitats such as plains and pastures for foraging.
Watch the video, close-up of the serpent eagle.
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