The Short-toed Snake Eagle

Hello again! Well, I had a wonderful two week reunion with my friend, and a fabulous Sunday birthday lunch with all the family, but as always it's good to be back with my blogging friends and today I would like to share the beautiful Short-toed Snake Eagle.

The Short-toed Snake Eagle  ( Circaetus  gallicus )
 

The eagle didn't bathe, just stood in the water,  his watchful eyes surveying the area for snakes. It uses a range of habitats, from fairly dense forest, to open woodland, to arid grasslands, but generally prefers mixed habitat that combines open areas rich in reptile prey.
 

It's a medium sized eagle. Those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe, migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa, north of the equator, leaving in Sept/Oct, and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident. 

This is only the second time I have seen the Short-toed Eagle. In Europe, it is most numerous in Spain, where it is fairly common, but here in Portugal the numbers are small, and it is mostly seen in Sagres,  Cabranosa, and in the mountainous Alenteijo region, and other mountainous regions
 

It's prey as it's name suggests, is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards.
 

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