| Circaetus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Subfamily: | Circaetinae |
| Genus: | Circaetus Vieillot, 1816 |
| Type species | |
| Falco gallicus Gmelin, 1788 | |
Circaetus, thesnake eagles, is a genus of medium-sizedeagles in thebird of prey familyAccipitridae. They are mainly residentAfrican species, but themigratoryshort-toed snake eagle breeds from theMediterranean basin intoRussia, theMiddle East andIndia, and winters insub-Saharan Africa and east toIndonesia.
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 onreptiles, mainlysnakes, but also takelizards and occasionally smallmammals.
The genusCircaetus was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologistLouis Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, theshort-toed snake eagle, which is therefore considered thetype species.[1][2] The genus name is from theAncient Greekkirkos, a type of hawk, andaetos, "eagle".[3]
The genus contains seven species.[4]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Western banded snake eagle | Circaetus cinerascens | Senegal and Gambia to west Ethiopia and south to Namibia and Zimbabwe |
 | Southern banded snake eagle | Circaetus fasciolatus | Kenya to northeast South Africa |
 | Congo serpent eagle | Circaetus spectabilis | West and central Africa |
.jpg) | Beaudouin's snake eagle | Circaetus beaudouini | Senegal to South Sudan, northwest Kenya and Uganda |
.jpg) | Black-chested snake eagle | Circaetus pectoralis | east Sudan and Ethiopia to South Africa |
 | Short-toed snake eagle | Circaetus gallicus | southwest Europe to central Asia, northwest China and India;Lesser Sunda Islands |
.jpg) | Brown snake eagle | Circaetus cinereus | Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia and south to South Africa |
Circaetus rhodopensis (late Miocene of Bulgaria)[5]
Circaetus haemusensis (early Pleistocene of Bulgaria)[6]
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