Circaetinae
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| Snake-eagles | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Subfamily: | Circaetinae |
Circaetinae is a bird of prey subfamily which consists of a group of medium to large broad-winged species. These are mainly birds which specialise in feeding on snakes and other reptiles, which is the reason most are named as "snake-eagles" or "serpent-eagles". The only exception is the Bateleur, a more generalised hunter. All the subfamily are restricted to warmer parts of the Old World.
They have hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs and powerful talons. They also have extremely keen eyesight to enable them to spot potential prey from a distance.
[edit] Species
- Genus Circaetus
- Short-toed Snake Eagle, C. gallicus
- Black-chested Snake Eagle, C. pectoralis
- Brown Snake Eagle, C. cinereus
- Southern Banded Snake Eagle, C. fasciolatus
- Western Banded Snake Eagle, C. cinerascens
- Genus Spilornis
- Crested Serpent Eagle, S. cheela
- Bawean Serpent Eagle, S. (cheela) baweanus
- Great Nicobar Serpent Eagle, S. klossi
- Mountain Serpent Eagle,S. kinabaluensis
- Sulawesi Serpent Eagle, S. rufipectus
- Philippine Serpent Eagle, S. holospilus
- Andaman Serpent Eagle, S. elgini
- Crested Serpent Eagle, S. cheela
- Genus Eutriorchis
- Madagascar Serpent Eagle, E. astur
- Genus Terathopius
- Bateleur, T. ecaudatus
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