This species is preyed upon by birds of prey, especially snake eagles and secretary birds.
It resembles other snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the Short-toed Snake Eagle and Beaudouin's Snake Eagle.
The Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) also known as Short-toed Eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.