Eagles

There are over 60 species of eagles in the world. Most of them are found in Europe, Asia and Africa. Eagles are members of the Accipitridae family which includes most of the diurnal raptors. Eagles are divided into three groups. The first group is the sea or fish eagles. These are eagles that have scaled legs with no feathers on them. Their legs are designed to dip into the water and catch fish. The bald eagle of North America is an example of a sea/fish eagle.
The next grouping is the booted eagles. These eagles have feathers that reach all of the way down to their feet. They are usually better hunters then sea eagles and live off hunting live prey, such as small mammals and ground birds. They often live in more arid climates and get most of their moisture from their prey. The golden eagle of North America is an example of a booted eagle.
Snake owls are generally smaller then other eagles. They are usually found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. As their name implies most snake eagles hunt and eat snakes. Since many snake are equipped with venomous fangs snake eagle have extremely tough pads on their feet to help protect them from snake bites. The bateleur eagle of Africa is an example of a snake eagle.

Some people also separate the harpy eagle of South America along with several other large and powerful eagles into a forth group. Many of these eagles eat larger prey such as monkeys, sloth, or lemurs which they pluck from the tree tops.