Greater Spotted Eagle
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| iGreater Spotted Eagle | ||||||||||||||
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| Aquila clanga Pallas, 1811 |
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 Summer (light green) and winter (blue) ranges of A. clanga
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The Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga), or just Spotted Eagle, is a large bird of prey. It is about 65 cm in length and has a wingspan of 160cm. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.
This species and its relatives, the Lesser and Indian Spotted Eagles, stand apart from all other true eagles. They should probably better be removed from the genus Aquila and united with the Long-crested Eagle in Lophaetus, or all four should be moved to Ictinaetus[citation needed].
It breeds from northern Europe across Asia, and winters in southeastern Europe, the Middle East and south Asia. This eagle lays 1-3 eggs in a tree nest.
This is a species of fairly wooded country, which hunts small mammals and similar, mainly terrestrial prey.
This is a medium-large eagle, very similar to the Lesser Spotted Eagle, which shares part of its range in general appearance. Its head and wing coverts are very dark brown and contrast with the generally medium brown plumage (Lesser Spotted has pale head and wing coverts). The head is small for an eagle.
There is often a less obvious white patch on the upperwings, but a white primary crescent is a good field mark. The juvenile has white spots in the wings.
The call is a dog-like yip.
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[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Aquila clanga. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is vulnerable
