In nature, the law of survival prevails. Some animals are stronger than others and are predators. Despite this, it is common that we come across some exceptions at some point in which a feared carnivore ends up being the food of another smaller or less strong animal.
Although snakes are one of the most feared animals today, there are as many predators of them as there are species of snakes. Although younger snakes are indeed more vulnerable to attack than those that are larger or adult.
Some of the most voracious snake predators belong to the bird world. Therefore, in this article, we will show you 17 types of birds that eat snakes. Let’s get started!
Secretary Bird
This raptor inhabits the African grasslands and is a diurnal carnivore. In addition, it is famous among the inhabitants who live in these places for its ability to kill snakes. Its main weapon is its long legs with which it tramples its most dangerous prey to stun them. Then it starts to sting their neck to finish killing them.
If despite all this the snake is still alive, it will launch itself from the air so that the fall helps it in its goal of ending the life of its prey. A curiosity about this animal is that it receives its name from its feathered forelock, which resembles the one worn by British secretaries in the past.
Short-toed Eagle
This animal is a species of the eagle family and inhabits semi-forest environments and open spaces throughout most of Europe. North Africa, and Central and South Asia. They have quite an imposing appearance with dark plumage on the upper part, and the feathers on their lower part are white with small brown spots.
To all this must be added its good flying skills and its developed eyesight, which will allow it to spot its next prey from hundreds of meters away. Snakes that cross the path of this bird will die pecked on the head and its body will end up in its stomach even before they stop moving. A terrible death!
Owls
Although in most species of owls, snakes are not their main food, they are still opportunistic hunters who will not hesitate to attack a snake that is in their path and is of the right size.
The owl species that pose the greatest threat to these reptiles are the Eagle Owl, the Eastern Screech Owl, the Barred Owl, and the Burrowing Owl.
Quick Fact: Owls are admirable hunters. Thanks to their great vision and hearing, they can see and perceive snakes and all kinds of prey in very dark environments. To this must be added its ability to fly without making noise, which will help it not to be discovered by its prey when they attack.
Kestrel
The kestrel is another great enemy of snakes. It is a small bird of prey that resembles a hawk. Its plumage is brown with black spots. This bird prefers open country areas and can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and even America. The kestrel builds its nest on rocky walls, ledges, trees, or in the abandoned nest of another bird.
Its way of hunting consists of stalking the ground from above and when it detects a prey it swoops towards it to capture it. This predatory bird will not hesitate to attack small snakes as they are part of its diet.
Stork
The stork has been a very loved ally by farmers for its ability to combat insect pests since they constitute a part of their diet, but would you be surprised to know that they have such a voracious appetite that it allows them to be on this list?
Well, you should know that storks are also birds that eat snakes. Thanks to their large beak of about 18 centimeters they are capable of crushing the heads of all kinds of small reptiles and snakes and then eating them.
This species is a migratory bird and is distributed from Europe to western Asia, passing through North Africa. It is usually found in shallow wetlands, farmland, or green pastures as this is where it finds its prey.
Peacock
This animal is known throughout the world as a symbol of beauty and elegance thanks to its striking colors and large tail feathers. But in addition to this, it is a great snake eater to such an extent that some inhabitants of India use them to protect their houses from poisonous snakes!
Despite this, the peacock has an omnivorous diet and also feeds on insects, small reptiles and frogs, seeds, fruits, etc. This bird is native to southern India and is usually found in wet and dry forests, although it has recently adapted to living around human populations.
Hawks
Hawks are majestic animals and they are also the fastest on the planet. They can reach more than 320 kilometers per hour! In addition, we must add their great power of vision, which makes them one of the hunters with the best eyesight. Their diet is made up of almost all animals smaller than themselves, including snakes.
To catch them and take their lives, they use their powerful claws as a tool after diving toward their prey. There are more than 40 species of hawk distributed throughout the world, the peregrine hawk being the most common, the only place where we cannot see this animal is in Antarctica.
Bald Eagle
This bird is familiar to many people since thanks to its imposing appearance it has managed to become the symbol of the United States nation. It usually lives near rivers or lakes, being more abundant mainly in Alaska and Canada, although it can be found as far as southern California or Mexico.
Their diet is mainly made up of fish, rabbits, turtles, or small birds. In addition to these animals, he also hunts any snake that crosses his path and is of the right size. The bald eagle hunts from the air and they have well-developed claws, a hooked beak, and great strength combined with speed.
All these characteristics make it have enough capacity to catch medium-sized snakes and tear their meat to eat it.
Golden Eagle
This great hunter could not be missing from this list. It is also one of the best-known birds of prey in the world thanks to its wide distribution. The golden eagle is found in North America, North Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Like the bald eagle, the golden eagle hunts from the air and uses its powerful claws to catch its prey. This bird when it detects a snake that it can see as food will fly towards it and in just thousands of seconds, it will grab it and tear it with its powerful beak.
Quick Fact: The golden eagle is one of the largest birds of its species, the females being slightly larger. This allows it to be able to kill and eat larger snakes.
Crow
Crows, despite their bad reputation, are very intelligent animals, even equaling the most intelligent species of parrots. In addition to this, they are very greedy birds that eat on the ground and almost anything such as vegetables, fruits, worms, insects, and all kinds of small animals. Because of this, they can attack some small snakes.
This bird has an advantage, and that is that they are quite sociable, which helps them to hunt in groups and to scare away predators. Crows are distributed throughout much of North America, from the United States and much of Canada. They usually live both in dense forests and clearer areas, and they have adapted very well to living close to humans.
Kookaburra
The kookaburra is a medium-sized Australian bird and a characteristic that makes them unique is their peculiar sound that resembles a laugh. Their diet is very wide since they are opportunistic animals. Normally it usually fishes fish in lagoons or coasts but in addition to this, it can also hunt larger prey, among which are snakes.
When it comes to prey like a snake they hit it against a rock or a hard surface to soften the meat.
Ostrich
The ostrich is one of the most surprising creatures in nature thanks to its large size (which does not allow them to fly), its plumage, and its developed limbs. It measures two meters and can weigh 160 kilograms!
This bird is mainly found in the plains of Africa, although its population is declining as its habitat is being reduced. It is an omnivorous animal and will eat almost anything that moves if a snake crosses in front of it, it will not hesitate to consider it as food and it will have no escape since it is capable of running up to 65 kilometers per hour to chase it.
Crested Caracara
This bird of prey is a great snake hunter since together with lizards, they form its main food source. It can also hunt other types of animals such as small mammals, toads, or even fish.
This bird looks for snakes to eat in open fields or sandy places like deserts or beaches. In this way, it takes advantage of its ability to fly in clear places to find prey faster.
This bird is one of the large raptors that can reach 60 centimeters and 1.60 kilograms in weight. It is quite widespread from the southern United States to the southern tip of South America.
Blue-faced Goshawk
This bird is a powerful predator of forests and mountains. They have a very effective way of hunting. they catch their prey with a short and fast flight Sometimes they even hit themselves and become entangled in branches or brushes in pursuit.
This bird not only eats birds and small mammals but has been seen hunting and eating all kinds of snakes that cross its path. To find their prey they use their patience and stealthily perch in the trees waiting for one to pass.
This bird is found in forested areas in Eurasia and North America. Northern Goshawks that live in cold areas often migrate south for the winter.
Rooster
Roosters are one of the most common animals on farms but that is no reason to underestimate their hunting skills. Something that will surprise many people is that roosters kill and eat poisonous snakes when necessary. To kill their prey, they use their strong beak to peck it and drag it against the ground.
In addition to feeding, roosters can attack a snake because it is a predator and can pose a danger to chickens and their eggs.
Roadrunner
This bird owes its name to the fact that although it makes small flights near the trees, it passes the vast majority of the time on the ground running. They can even reach 40 kilometers per hour!
The roadrunner lives in semi-desert areas of Mexico and the United States. where rainfall is low and temperatures considerably high. This bird deserves to be on our list since it has great dexterity to fight against snakes such as the rattlesnake. on which it feeds. In addition, it can also eat other small birds, spiders, small reptiles, large insects, or cactus seeds and fruits.
Common Crane
Although their diet is mainly made up of plants or plant foods, they can sometimes eat small vertebrates, including small snakes.
It is a bird with a long and thin body that lives in areas of swamps, lakes, and open rivers. Their geographical distribution covers Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and they tend to migrate from one place to another depending on the time of year.
A curiosity about this animal is that in Japan they are a symbol of good luck, honor, and loyalty.
As we have seen, it is very common in the animal kingdom to find birds that feed on other great predators such as snakes.
Even though this type of prey can contain poison, most of the birds that we have just seen can attack them without taking even a bite, something that would be fatal to them.
To conclude with this article, we must bear in mind that this is something normal, if we add the voracious appetite of these birds and the ease of finding small snakes throughout the world we will obtain a perfect balance that makes the feeding of these sustainable animals.