Madagascan serpent eagle

The Madagascan serpent eagle (Eutriorchis astur) is a species of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Eutriorchis.[2] It is endemic to Madagascar.[1]

Madagascan serpent eagle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Eutriorchis
Sharpe, 1875
Species:
E. astur
Binomial name
Eutriorchis astur
(Sharpe, 1875)

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

The Madagascan serpent eagle is a medium-sized raptor with a long rounded tail and short rounded wings.[3] It is dark grey on its back and a lighter grey on its belly, breast, and throat.[3] Dark barring covers the bird's body. It has yellow eyes and a sharp, hooked beak with strong talons.[3] It measures 57 to 66 cm (22 to 26 in) long with a wingspan of 90 to 110 cm (35 to 43 in).[4]

Distribution and habitat

This bird inhabits dense, humid, and broadleafed evergreen forests in northeastern and east-central Madagascar. It rarely ventures above 550 meters (1800 ft).[3]

Ecology and behavior

This serpent-eagle is diurnal. It eats lemurs both large and small, snakes, lizards, and frogs, which it hunts from high perches, swooping down from its perch and grasping its prey in its talons when it spots it.[3]

Conservation

This species was believed to be extinct, with the last confirmed sighting being from 1930.[3] However, sightings in 1977 and 1988 led to hope for the species' rediscovery.[3] It was rediscovered in 1993 by the Peregrine Fund.

This species is threatened by the destruction of its specialized habitat and a presumed low rate of reproduction.[3]

Etymology

The prefix eu- is Greek for "good". Triorchis is a Latinization (Pliny the Elder)[5] of Greek triórkhēs (τριόρχης), which Aristotle and Theophrastus used for a kind of hawk, possibly the common buzzard. The Greek word means "having three testicles".[6] This erroneous bit of anatomy has been connected with the ease of mistaking a bird's adrenal gland for a testicle.[7]

Astur is Latin for a kind of hawk.[8]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Eutriorchis astur". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  2. Thomas M. Brooks; John D. Pilgrim; Ana S. L. Rodrigues & Gustavo A. B. Da Fonseca (2005). "Conservation status and geographic distribution of avian evolutionary history". In Andy Purvis; John L. Gittleman & Thomas Brooks (eds.). Phylogeny and Conservation. Conservation Biology. 8. Cambridge University Press. pp. 267–294. ISBN 978-0-521-82502-3.
  3. "Madagascar Serpent Eagle". The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Extinct Species of Modern Times. 1. Beacham Publishing. 1997. pp. 13–14.
  4. Raptors of the World By Ferguson Lees, Christie, David A.(2001)
  5. Pliny the Elder, Historia Naturalis, Book 10, Chapters 9, 95, 96. English translation from the Perseus Digital Library. Both retrieved on Nov. 16, 2007.
  6. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, retrieved 2007-11-15
  7. Fisher, Peter; Higgins (1998), Olaus Magnus: A Description of the Northern Peoples, 1555, translated by Humphrey, Hakluyt Society, p. 1011n, ISBN 0-904180-59-X, retrieved 2007-11-15. See Olaus Magnus and Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus
  8. Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1897), A Latin Dictionary, retrieved 2009-01-15
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