Among other Volsk forest-steppe inhabitants, the museum hall houses a stuffed short-toed snake eagle of the family Accipitridae.
Snake eagles are present in Europe, except for its northern regions, in northwest Africa, in Southwest and Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and India. Snake eagles populations that live in the temperate zone migrate to Africa and India for the winter.
In Russia, snake eagles are found in the European part of the country, south of the middle boreal, in the south of Western and Central Siberia, and the Caucasus. They occur very rarely, mainly in the forest-steppe zone and in the southern foothills.
Adult snake eagles are 62–72 cm long, with a 160–190 cm wingspan and a 52–60 cm wing length. The average weight is about 1.2–2.3 kg. Female snake eagles are usually larger than males but they both have the same coloring, and young birds look similar to adults.
The snake eagle has very large yellow eyes and a fluffy body. Its feathers may be light or dark. The plumage of the upper body is grayish-brown with dusky streaking, and the ends of the flight feathers are black. The underside is almost white with black horizontal streaking. The head, neck, and gorge are dark resembling a wide ascot tie.
Snake eagles fly with their wings flat, and not raised. They frequently hover, and in headwind they can remain in one position with their wings half bent. While flying, a snake eagle utters a melodious ‘kyu, kue, kyuuu’, similar to a meowing cry, and when alarmed, it caws ‘shue-kue-kue-kue’.
The snake eagle is stealthy and cautious. It mostly nests in remote forest areas with clearings and marshes that are convenient for hunting. The snake eagle looks for its prey hovering close to the ground or waiting in ambush. The bird preys on snakes, including venomous ones, as well as frogs, small birds, nestlings, and rodents. It usually dives down to a snake, clutching the head with its paw, and swallows its prey whole.
Snake eagles nest in pairs. They build a small, sometimes a bit messy nest, but more often, they occupy an existing nest. It is always well hidden in the tree crown or on a cliff. The snake eagle lines the nest with green twigs and snake scales. The clutch usually consists of one white egg — while the female incubates the egg, the male feeds her.
The eaglet has white fluffy feathers. The snake eagle mostly feeds the eaglet with snakes for 60–80 days. The parent catches a snake and brings it half-swallowed in its beak with the tail hanging out. The eaglet pulls it out, which sometimes takes a long time, and then practices its hunting instincts by swallowing the snake starting from the head.
Today, there are only three thousand pairs of snake eagles in Russia. Their population has been declining since the 19th century, as there is less and less food available and less suitable places for living and nesting, and the birds are often killed by humans.
Snake eagles are present in Europe, except for its northern regions, in northwest Africa, in Southwest and Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and India. Snake eagles populations that live in the temperate zone migrate to Africa and India for the winter.
In Russia, snake eagles are found in the European part of the country, south of the middle boreal, in the south of Western and Central Siberia, and the Caucasus. They occur very rarely, mainly in the forest-steppe zone and in the southern foothills.
Adult snake eagles are 62–72 cm long, with a 160–190 cm wingspan and a 52–60 cm wing length. The average weight is about 1.2–2.3 kg. Female snake eagles are usually larger than males but they both have the same coloring, and young birds look similar to adults.
The snake eagle has very large yellow eyes and a fluffy body. Its feathers may be light or dark. The plumage of the upper body is grayish-brown with dusky streaking, and the ends of the flight feathers are black. The underside is almost white with black horizontal streaking. The head, neck, and gorge are dark resembling a wide ascot tie.
Snake eagles fly with their wings flat, and not raised. They frequently hover, and in headwind they can remain in one position with their wings half bent. While flying, a snake eagle utters a melodious ‘kyu, kue, kyuuu’, similar to a meowing cry, and when alarmed, it caws ‘shue-kue-kue-kue’.
The snake eagle is stealthy and cautious. It mostly nests in remote forest areas with clearings and marshes that are convenient for hunting. The snake eagle looks for its prey hovering close to the ground or waiting in ambush. The bird preys on snakes, including venomous ones, as well as frogs, small birds, nestlings, and rodents. It usually dives down to a snake, clutching the head with its paw, and swallows its prey whole.
Snake eagles nest in pairs. They build a small, sometimes a bit messy nest, but more often, they occupy an existing nest. It is always well hidden in the tree crown or on a cliff. The snake eagle lines the nest with green twigs and snake scales. The clutch usually consists of one white egg — while the female incubates the egg, the male feeds her.
The eaglet has white fluffy feathers. The snake eagle mostly feeds the eaglet with snakes for 60–80 days. The parent catches a snake and brings it half-swallowed in its beak with the tail hanging out. The eaglet pulls it out, which sometimes takes a long time, and then practices its hunting instincts by swallowing the snake starting from the head.
Today, there are only three thousand pairs of snake eagles in Russia. Their population has been declining since the 19th century, as there is less and less food available and less suitable places for living and nesting, and the birds are often killed by humans.
