- Black-chested Snake Eagle
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Black-chested Snake Eagle 
Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes
(or Accipitriformes, q.v.)Family: Accipitridae Subfamily: Circaetinae Genus: Circaetus Species: C. pectoralis Binomial name Circaetus pectoralis
( A. Smith, 1829)
Black-chested Snake Eagle in the Kruger National Park
The Black-chested Snake Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. It resembles other snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the Short-toed Snake Eagle and Beaudouin's Snake Eagle.
The main identification character of this bird is its dark brown head and chest, to which it owes its name. In flight the dark head contrasts with the underparts and underwings, which are white apart from dark barring on the flight feathers and tail. The upperparts are dark brown, and the eye is yellow.
The female is similar to, but larger than the male, and the juvenile is rufous.
The call is a whistled kwo kwo kwo kweeoo.
This species can be found throughout southern Africa from Ethiopia and Sudan in the north to South Africa in the south 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 semi-arid or even desert 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.
References
- BirdLife International (2006). Circaetus pectoralis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. 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.
- Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
Circaetinae Genus Terathopius Circaetus Short-toed Snake Eagle • Black-chested Snake Eagle • Brown Snake Eagle • Southern Banded Snake Eagle • Western Banded Snake EagleSpilornis Crested Serpent Eagle • South Nicobar Serpent Eagle • Mountain Serpent Eagle • Sulawesi Serpent Eagle • Philippine Serpent Eagle • Andaman Serpent EagleEutriorchis Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Circaetus
- Birds of Africa
- Birds of South Africa
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