Circaetus gallicus information navigator

The excellent online database featherbase.info contains high resolution photos of bird feathers, various statistical data on their dimensions, useful comparing tools which allow to identify species with high confidence. Also, you can add pictures of your own finds there. Specific information on Short-toed Eagle is available on the separate page.

Ildikó Baranyi is a wildlife photographer living in Romania. A lot of excellent pictures of the local nature are presented on her website. Among them you can find a photo-gallery dedicated to Short-toed Eagles. The eagles in intermediate and adult plumage, clear signs of the plumage replacement can be seen in the photos. All of them were taken in Romania, including ones of a 2cy individual summering in Europe.

This WordPress site is dedicated to identification of Raptors in the nature. The main idea was to provide easy uploading various pictures of birds of different age and sex, then, to describe and categorize them correctly, developing in this way a rich database for Raptors identification. All photos of any species can be found by one click, ones of Short-toed Snake Eagle as well. Descriptions of sex and age-related features are in English and Catalan.

Although, this paper is rather old, it can be considered as a good example of a report on Short-toed Eagle rehabilitation. If all similar cases were described in such a detailed way, our knowledge on sexing and ageing of Short-toed Eagles would be much deeper:

• Theo van de MORTEL, 2006 – Voor het eerst een Slangenarend Circaetus gallicus geringd in Nederland [Male Short-toed Eagle found emaciated in The Netherlands in May 2006] // De Takkeling, 14 (3): pp. 232-235. – (Nl).

The article is available on the Natuurtijdschriften site now.

Observations of Short-toed Eagles in Northern Ukraine in 2014 which deserve to be noted:

• K. PISMENNYI, 2015 – Data on breeding of Short-toed Eagle in Northern Ukraine – , XLS file with formulas – ; Replacement of the biggest 14 flight feathers – ; Some short notes on Short-toed Eagles in Northern Ukraine in 2014 // short-toed-eagle.net (En).

During 10 years of observations in Central Northern Ukraine (Kiev Region /map/, Mizhrichynskyi Park /map/) a lot of photos of several the same Short-toed Eagles have been taken. Some of them can be viewed in the galleries (just an example). Since Short-toed Eaglers’ the biggest flight feathers are often seen from a great distance they are easily recognizable in photos. Especially it concerns 4th-10th primaries of both wings. Accumulation of data allowed to determine inter-moulting periods of certain feathers:

• K. PISMENNYI, 2013 – Short-toed Eagle. Replacement of the biggest 14 flight feathers // short-toed-eagle.net – (En).

First of all, the results might be of interest as additional information for recognizing individuals in the nature from year to year, together with individually typical plumage colouration and silhouettes in flight at certain angles in certain poses. Regular photographing of Short-toed Eagles at their breeding sites and foraging grounds allows to distinguish them with high probability without special marking, without stressing and often even without disturbing the birds at all.