The serpent eagle | Facts & Information

Origin

In India it is present all year round. It lives in mountainous and depression regions. It prefers areas with poor vegetation, Stony, Sandy where it can find snakes and lizards. He does not like inhabited, hectic areas.

In Romania it is spread over large areas but in a relatively small number. It can be found in rocky areas, Hills poor in vegetation, arid areas.

They arrive in Romania in March-April and in October-November they leave for Central Africa, on 2 large migration routes, one over the Bosphorus and another over Gibraltar.

It can be found under the names: Serpent, Serpent Eagle, Lizard, Brehanaca or european Serpent. The name in English is: short toed snake Eagle.

Feed The Serpent Eagle

The snake hunts hovering over its territories, has a majestic flight, specific to Eagles, with ample wing beats and long gliding.

When it detects prey it rushes at breakneck speed at it and catches it first in its claws and then with its beak, snakes generally catch them by the back of the head. Sometimes he can be seen on the prowl on a high post from where he watches over a large area.

As its name implies, the snake feeds mainly on snakes, but its diet also includes lizards, small mammals and birds.

At a nest in France were counted the catches brought to the nest and it turned out: out of 70 catches 67 were snakes, 2 lizards and one finches. It needs open spaces to see its prey from afar and to reach it as quickly as possible.

It is capable of attacking and carrying snakes up to 1m long. He prefers non-venomous snakes because he is not immune to snake venom.

Features Serpent Eagle

It is a very light-colored Eagle. Dorsal side grey-brown, with pale upperparts. Ventral side whitish (variable), with throat and goiter usually brown; abdomen spotted.

Likewise the underside of the wings, but there is never black spot at their wrist; the remiges dark or only sure in very light individuals (the light-colored sorecars have the tip of the remiges of an intense black).

Tail rather long and narrow, ending at right angles, with 3-4 dark stripes.

When gliding the wings are held horizontally (or very slightly raised); when gliding the internal segment of the wing is raised and the external one is let down, with the tips of the remiges flexed upwards.

From below the wingspan appears strongly projected forward. Big head, yellow eyes. In normal flight, majestic wingbeats, specific to Eagles. Often flies on the spot.

It frequently produces prolonged, melancholic, unmistakable, repeated whistles: "piii-iu", with accesnt on the second syllable; "piii..., piiu"; "piuu-u-u-u-u-u"; " ci...ci...".

The serpent eagle has a length of 62 to 67 cm and a wingspan of 1.6 – 1.8 m. the weight can reach 1.5 to 2.5 kg.

Breeding The Serpent Eagle

The snake forms pairs for life and in the spring they always return to the same place.

The nest is built by both partners in tall trees, from where they can survey the area.

They hatch only one egg and the female is the one who provides most of the brooding.

Incubation lasts 45-47 days and the chicks are fit to fly at 10 weeks.