RAPTOR & ACCIPITER 25/35 - Short-toed Snake Eagle

Short-toed Snake-Eagle

During the Chinese New Year holidays I was back to Alor Setar. My target bird then were the many rare raptors sighting in Chuping and Sg Dua. Not to mention the Great -eared Nightjar in Air Hitam Seberang Prai.
Alas saw the latter but no photos . The only lifer for the CNY was this uncommon visiting raptor from Central Asia-China and Russia. The Short-toed Snake Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

The short-toed snake-eagle is a large, long-winged eagle with a broad head, a relatively small beak, and long, bare legs. The plumage is quite variable, but is usually brown above, with a brown head, throat and chest, and a white lower breast and belly, marked with dark bars or blotches. The flight feathers of the wing are usually dark, and the tail bears three to four dark bands. The eye is bright yellow. The male and female short-toed snake-eagle are similar in appearance, although the female is heavier and has a slightly longer tail.

The Short-toed Snake Eagle is an accomplished flyer and spends more time on the wing than do most members of its genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on up draughts, and it does much of its hunting from this position at heights of up to 500 meters (550 yards). When quartering open country it frequently hovers like a Kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings.

Its prey is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Sometimes they become entangled with larger snakes and battle on the ground. Occasionally, they prey on small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, and rarely birds and large insects. This eagle is generally very silent. On occasions, it emits a variety of musical whistling notes. When breeding, it lays only one egg; it can live up to 17 years.The Short-toed Snake Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land use. It needs protection.