- Circaetus beaudouini
Identification
60–66 cm (23½-26 in)
Look for the thin parallel dark lines going from the body onto underwing coverts on the flying adult bird. In addition, wings are a little shorter.
Similar Species
Here is a thread which briefly dicusses the ID and how to distiguish from Short-toed Eagle. [[1]]. They usually show darker upperparts and bolder flight-feather markings than Short-toed Eagle.
Distribution
Africa.
Found from southwestern Mauritania south to Guinea and east to southwestern Sudan and western South Sudan and possibly to northern Uganda.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Formerly regarded as a subspecies of Short-toed Eagle.
Habitat
Open savannah woodland; fertile plains, often near water.
Behaviour
Frequently hovers like its congener Short-toed Snake Eagle C. gallicus.
Diet
Their main diet consists of snakes, though they also hunt for small mammals, lizards and even insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- BF Member observations
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Apr 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Beaudouin's Snake Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 17 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Beaudouin%27s_Snake_Eagle
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
