Although snakes are not the strongest creatures in the wild, they are the most dangerous ones. Because they are venomous and poisonous, they don't need to break your bones or strangle you to death, they just need to bite you with a small mouth, and the biological species without antivenom will die.

The first one is the snake eagle.

● Taxonomic classification: Class Aves – Paleognathae – Hawks – Accipitridae – Aquilinae – Snake Eagles

In terms of size, the snake eagle is not a large hawk in the Accipitridae family. The snake eagle's average body length after maturity is about 65 cm. It has a black and white circular crest on its head, dark brown on its upper body, and pale yellow on its lower body, which gives it a somewhat rustic appearance, and almost has no fierce aura of the hawk family.

However, the snake eagle is still a fierce predator despite its old appearance. It is an eagle that does not hesitate to attack small rodents, and even large lizards will become the prey of the snake eagle if they are discovered.

Of course, the name of the snake eagle is because it has a special skill in catching snakes. Because the snake eagle’s eyesight is very sharp, it can observe snakes at a very distance. When catching snakes, it generally stands on a high place to observe, and when it finds the movement of snakes, it quietly descends, and then subconsciously uses its claws to grab the snake’s body with its sharp beak and bite the snake’s head. At this time, its wings are used as auxiliary tools to maintain its body balance while dealing with the snake’s counterattack. After a few minutes, the snake will lose its resistance.

As a bird of prey, the snake eagle has a wide distribution around the world, and there are 21 subspecies. There are more than 10 provinces in China where snake eagles live.

● Conservation status: World Conservation Union Red List (Low Risk)

The second one is the snake vulture.

● Taxonomic classification: Class Aves – Paleognathae – Hawks – Cathartidae – Serpentarius – Snake Vultures

The snake vulture is the tallest bird in the hawk family. The height of the snake vulture after maturity can reach up to 1.5 meters, which is higher than a teenager’s height. However, the snake vulture’s height is not large, and its weight does not exceed 10 kg.

Because the snake vulture has a pair of legs much longer than other birds, it likes to walk on land (in fact, snake vultures can fly but don’t like to fly). Prolonged walking and running make the snake vulture’s legs very powerful, and the snake vulture’s legs also have thick scales to protect them, so they have become powerful weapons to attack prey.

When attacking small mammals, the snake vulture uses its height advantage to kill prey fiercely, and then enjoys it slowly. When attacking snakes, the snake vulture relies on its flexible steps to harass the opponent, and then launches a fierce attack when the snake is exhausted, resulting in the opponent’s demise.

Because the snake vulture mainly lives in the south of the Sahara Desert, it encounters many venomous snakes. However, for the snake vulture, snake venom doesn’t play a big role, even if it’s the most powerful venomous snake in Africa, the black mamba, encounters the snake vulture, it will only lie on the ground and do a snack.

● Conservation status: Washington Endangered Species Conservation Agreement Protection Species, World Conservation Union Red List (Vulnerable)

The third one is the dove.

● Taxonomic classification: Class Aves – Paleognathae – Hawks – Columbiformes – Columbidae – Doves

Last week we wrote a separate article to introduce the dove, this bird mainly lives in the desert area of North America, it has poor flight ability but is very good at running. It is different from the snake vulture, the snake vulture can fly but doesn’t like to fly, the dove has poor flight ability, so it relies more on walking instead of flying.

The dove mainly lives in shrub areas, and its prey are mainly reptiles such as lizards and snakes. Among the snakes, the rattlesnake is the most hunted by the dove. Because the two areas overlap a lot.

When attacking snakes, the dove doesn’t like to entangle, it will find an opportunity to seize at a critical moment, and then use its claws and sharp beak to strike the snake’s head. If it succeeds, the dove can enjoy its meal. If it doesn’t succeed, the dove has a great chance to be bitten by the snake or even die.

In addition, the breeding ability of the dove is the least stable in birds. The female dove can produce a maximum of 12 eggs at most, but if it’s less, it can only produce 2 eggs.