* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
In The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia we can see this sequence of photographs that I took while walking the Camí del Lluçà or Camino de Altet in El Canós.
In the images we can see how this specimen of European short-toed eagle (circaetus gallicus) hunted a snake: first it stretches it to kill it and then eats it whole.
It is not surprising because, as its name indicates, it is a bird of prey specialized in hunting snakes and other reptiles. It is large, 62–70 cm long, and 166–188 cm wingspan, although males are slightly smaller than females (hard to appreciate even when flying together).
The short-toed snake is a specialist in capturing and swallowing, especially snakes. It discovers its prey gliding over its vast territory, such as the fields of Urgell.
It captures the snake with its short but strong claws and kills it with a precise bite on the nape of the neck. If necessary, it can also feed on frogs, lizards, some birds and insects.
These birds can be solitary, form pairs or even small flocks, mixed with other birds of prey, during the migration season. Next, we see the sequence of how he hunts and swallows the snake.
