Black-chested Snake-eagle

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iBlack-chested Snake-Eagle

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Subfamily: Circaetinae
Genus: Circaetus
Species: C. pectoralis
Binomial name
Circaetus pectoralis
( A. Smith, 1829)

The Black-chested Snake-eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large african bird of prey of the accipitridae family. It greatly ressembles other Snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the Short-toed eagle and Beaudouin's Snake-eagle.

The main specific character of this bird is its brown head and chest to which it owes its name.

This species can be found throughout southern Africa from Ethiopia and Sudan in the north, to South Africa in the south and and Angola in the southwest.

It inhabits different habitats, providing it can find open terrain to hunt on, trees to perch and nest in, and sufficient food supply. This includes semiarid or even desertic areas.

As its name indicates, this bird feeds mostly on snakes, but will also prey on lizards, small mammals and frogs.

The female will lay only one egg per clutch, which is incubated for 50 days. The chick leaves the nest after 3 months.

Due to its wide distribution this species is not endangered.

[edit] References

  • BirdLife International (2006). Circaetus pectoralis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
  • Brown, Leslie and Dean Amadon(1968).Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World vol.1, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York.
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