# Circaetus

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Genus of birds

Circaetus Short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Subfamily: Circaetinae Genus: Circaetus Vieillot, 1816 Type species Falco gallicus Gmelin, 1788

***Circaetus***, the **snake eagles**, is a genus of medium-sized [eagles](/source/Eagle) in the [bird of prey](/source/Bird_of_prey) family [Accipitridae](/source/Accipitridae). They are mainly resident [African](/source/Africa) species, but the [migratory](/source/Bird_migration) [short-toed snake eagle](/source/Short-toed_snake_eagle) breeds from the [Mediterranean](/source/Mediterranean) basin into [Russia](/source/Russia), the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East) and [India](/source/India), and winters in [sub-Saharan Africa](/source/Sub-Saharan_Africa) and east to [Indonesia](/source/Indonesia).

Snake eagles are found in open habitats like cultivated plains and arid savanna, but require trees in which to build a stick nest. The single egg is incubated mainly or entirely by the female.

*Circaetus* eagles have a rounded head and broad wings. They prey on [reptiles](/source/Reptile), mainly [snakes](/source/Snake) (hence the common name), but also take [lizards](/source/Lizard) and occasionally small [mammals](/source/Mammal).

## Taxonomy and species

The genus *Circaetus* was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist [Louis Pierre Vieillot](/source/Louis_Pierre_Vieillot) to accommodate a single species, the [short-toed snake eagle](/source/Short-toed_snake_eagle), which is therefore considered the [type species](/source/Type_species).[1][2] The genus name is from the [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) *kirkos*, a type of hawk, and *aetos*, "eagle".[3]

The genus contains seven species.[4]

Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Western banded snake eagle Circaetus cinerascens Senegal and Gambia to west Ethiopia and south to Namibia and Zimbabwe Southern banded snake eagle Circaetus fasciolatus Kenya to northeast South Africa Congo serpent eagle Circaetus spectabilis West and central Africa Beaudouin's snake eagle Circaetus beaudouini Senegal to South Sudan, northwest Kenya and Uganda Black-chested snake eagle Circaetus pectoralis east Sudan and Ethiopia to South Africa Short-toed snake eagle Circaetus gallicus southwest Europe to central Asia, northwest China and India; Lesser Sunda Islands Brown snake eagle Circaetus cinereus Senegal and Gambia to Ethiopia and south to South Africa

## Fossil record

*Circaetus rhodopensis* (late Miocene of Bulgaria)[5]

*Circaetus haemusensis* (early Pleistocene of Bulgaria)[6]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Vieillot, Louis Pierre](/source/Louis_Pierre_Vieillot) (1816). [*Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire*](https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9745205x/f29.item) (in French). Paris: Deterville/self. p. 23.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Mayr, Ernst](/source/Ernst_Mayr); Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). [*Check-List of Birds of the World*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16108949). Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 309.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-job_3-0)** Jobling, James A. (2010). [*The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names*](https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling). London: Christopher Helm. p. [108](https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n108). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4081-2501-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4081-2501-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ioc_4-0)** [Gill, Frank](/source/Frank_Gill_(ornithologist)); Donsker, David; [Rasmussen, Pamela](/source/Pamela_C._Rasmussen), eds. (February 2025). ["Hoatzin, New World vultures, Secretarybird, raptors"](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/raptors/). *IOC World Bird List Version 15.1*. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 March 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Boev, Z. 2012. *Circaetus rhodopensis* sp. n. (Aves, Accipitriformes) from the Late Miocene of Hadzhidimovo (SW Bulgaria). - Acta zoologica bulgarica, 64 (1): 5-12.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Boev, Z. 2015. An Early Pleistocene Snake-eagle (*Circaetus haemusensis* sp. n. - Aves, Accipitriformes) from Varshets (NW Bulgaria). – Acta zoologica bulgarica. 67 (1), 2015: 127-138.

v t e Genera of hawks, vultures and their allies Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Clade: Telluraves Order: Accipitriformes Accipitriformes Cathartiformes incertae sedis †Parasarcoramphus †Teratornithidae Aiolornis Argentavis Cathartornis Oscaravis Taubatornis Teratornis Cathartidae †Aizenogyps †Brasilogyps †Breagyps Cathartes †Cathartidarum Coragyps †Diatropornis †Dryornis †Geronogyps Gymnogyps †Hadrogyps †Kuntur †Pampagyps †Phasmagyps †Perugyps †Pleistovultur †Pliogyps Sarcoramphus Vultur †Wingegyps Accipitriformes sensu stricto See below ↓ Accipitriformes sensu stricto †Horusornithidae Horusornis Pandionidae Pandion Sagittariidae †Amanuensis †Amphiserpentarius †Pelargopappus Sagittarius Accipitridae incertae sedis †Amplibuteo †Aquilavus †Apatosagittarius †Aviraptor †"Cruschedula"? †Dynatoaetus †Gigantohierax †Gobihierax †Milvoides †Mioaegypius †Miohierax †Necrastur †Palaeohierax †Palaeastur †Palaeocircus †Palaeoplancus †"Palaetus" †Pengana †Proictinia †Promilio †Qiluornis †Titanohierax †Vinchinavis Aegypiinae Aegypius †Cryptogyps †Gansugyps Gyps Necrosyrtes Sarcogyps Torgos Trigonoceps Accipitrinae Accipiter Aerospiza Astur Erythrotriorchis Megatriorchis Tachyspiza Aquilinae Aquila Clanga Hieraaetus Ictinaetus Lophaetus Lophotriorchis Nisaetus Polemaetus Spizaetus Stephanoaetus †Archaehieraxinae Archaehierax Buteoninae †Bermuteo †Garganoaetus Buteonini Busarellus Butastur Buteo Buteogallus Cryptoleucopteryx Geranoaetus Geranospiza Helicolestes Ictinia Leucopternis Morphnarchus Parabuteo Pseudastur Rostrhamus Rupornis Milvini Haliastur Milvus Circaetinae Circaetus Dryotriorchis Eutriorchis Pithecophaga Spilornis Terathopius Circinae Circus Elaninae Chelictinia Elanus Gampsonyx Gypaetinae †Anchigyps †Arikarornis Gypaetus Gypohierax †Mioneophron †Neogyps Neophron †Neophrontops †Palaeoborus Polyboroides Haliaeetinae Haliaeetus Icthyophaga Harpaginae Harpagus Kaupifalco Microspizias Harpiinae Harpia Harpyopsis Macheiramphus Morphnus Lophospizinae Lophospiza Melieraxinae Melierax Micronisus Urotriorchis Perninae Aviceda Chondrohierax Elanoides Eutriorchis Hamirostra Henicopernis Leptodon Lophoictinia Pernis

Taxon identifiers Circaetus Wikidata: Q867544 Wikispecies: Circaetus Avibase: 8490C7B37AE8B5AC BOLD: 4448 CoL: 62LC9 Fauna Europaea: 96707 Fauna Europaea (new): e4b08a37-dfd9-4794-b3bd-a4a5b3a51dec GBIF: 2480661 iNaturalist: 5239 IRMNG: 1365141 ITIS: 175498 NBN: NHMSYS0000530290 NCBI: 43464 Open Tree of Life: 581834 Paleobiology Database: 430169 Plazi: F46735AA-CAC3-6D9F-0466-F5E1FBB9A7AB WoRMS: 1451667 ZooBank: 48267490-E2E0-41BB-A549-E2DAD6DF73CE

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Circaetus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circaetus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circaetus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.