Short-toed Snake Eagle

Birdwatching is growing in the Costa Blanca, understandable because there is a lot to see. Our backyard is sometimes just an aviary, the birds whistle to their heart’s content.

Which birds you can spot at Can Elisa depends on the season. In February, for example, the nightingale, a delicious singing sound.

Now that the summer has come, there are other sounds. Last nights we have enjoyed 3 snake eagles. These birds of prey have chosen the mountain range for our house as hunting grounds.

The Short-toed Snake Eagle is not a small bird, it is 62 to 69 cm long and has a wingspan of 1.62 to 1.78 m. It is a fairly large eagle with black relatively large, owl-like head (with yellow eyes).

The Short-toed Snake Eagle searches for its prey, mostly reptiles, by slowly flying over open areas in the air. He then regularly stays in a place for a long time, this is also called praying.

The bird overwinters south of the Sahara. The breeding area extends from the east, southeast and southwest of Europe to central Asia. Occasionally the Serpent Eagle was spotted in the Netherlands.