Hawks and eagles
Booted Eagle
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Hieraaetus pennatus
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Voice
Alarm
How to recognize it
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Body length 45–53 cm
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Light morph: brown upperparts, off-white underside, dark streaks on the breast and around the eyes
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White underwings sharply contrast with black flight feathers
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During breeding season, a shrill whistle: "kli-kli-kli"
About the species
The pale form has a brown back and a creamy-white underside, with dark streaks across its chest and around the eyes. White underwings end in sharply contrasting black flight feathers. The darker form is brown above and below, often with a golden or rusty cast on the head. Feathers reach down the legs to the toes.
It hunts on the wing, folding its wings and dropping quickly with its feet extended to catch prey. In the breeding season, it gives a shrill "kli-kli-kli" call. Males climb in a tight spiral, glide, then drop with their wings tucked during courtship.
It nests in trees in wooded, often hilly country with open ground nearby, and hunts small mammals, lizards, snakes and smaller feathered prey. Northern populations migrate south for winter, to sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia, while small southern African populations stay year-round.
Where to find
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During the breeding season, listen for the Booted Eagle's shrill "kli-kli-kli" calls in deciduous woods beside an open clearing.
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In spring, watch over wooded hills for a courtship display: a male spirals upward, then dives with its wings folded.
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At the edge of an open patch beside woodland, scan the branches for one waiting in ambush for prey.
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During spring or autumn migration, watch for low flight over open ground away from dense forest.
