Short-toed Snake Eagle

The short-toed snake eagle is a large, pale raptor with a broad white underside and a dark, spotted head and breast. It specialises in reptiles and eats mainly snakes, which it spots from the air while hovering over the fields. It grabs them with its thick, short toes covered in rough scales that protect against bites. A snake is often swallowed whole, head first, while it is still moving. It is a migrant that spends every winter in the Sahel in Africa and returns in spring. Every year a few pairs nest here in the area. Each pair raises only one chick a year, which stays in the nest for nearly two months.