Greater Spotted Eagle
Clanga clanga
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Clanga clanga
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Mass
~2 kg
Habitat
Wetlands and marshes
Diet
Small vertebrates
How to recognize it
The Greater Spotted Eagle has a dark, heavy look, with broad wings and a rather compact shape in the air. Adults are almost uniformly brown, while young ones stand out more because of the pale drop-like spots across the upperparts.
It is usually quiet away from the breeding season, but becomes more vocal then. It hunts from high in the air or from the ground, and often uses open perches, waiting there to scan for prey.
It is tied to wet country — floodplains, marshes, river edges, lakeshores, and mixed woods near water. Its food is mainly water voles, but it also takes other rodents, frogs, reptiles, and small prey, and it leaves for wintering areas in India, Iran, and Indochina.
Quick Facts
The Greater Spotted Eagle has a dark, heavy look, with broad wings and a rather compact shape in the air. Adults are almost uniformly brown, while young ones stand out more because of the pale drop-like spots across the upperparts.
It is usually quiet away from the breeding season, but becomes more vocal then. It hunts from high in the air or from the ground, and often uses open perches, waiting there to scan for prey.
It is tied to wet country — floodplains, marshes, river edges, lakeshores, and mixed woods near water. Its food is mainly water voles, but it also takes other rodents, frogs, reptiles, and small prey, and it leaves for wintering areas in India, Iran, and Indochina.
How to recognize it
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Clanga clanga Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Greater spotted eagle Encyclopedia article