Spotted eagle

• Adults are quite uniform in dark brown coloration with very broad wings and short tails.

• They have a distinctive single white "comma" mark at the wrist of the underwing, which is visible during flight.

• Juveniles are more boldly patterned with numerous prominent dirty white spots on their back and upper wings, which they lose as they mature.

• The Greater Spotted Eagle prefers wetter habitats compared to most other booted eagles.

• They favor riparian zones, bogs, lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water surrounded by woodland.

• They breed primarily on floodplains, especially ones that experience high water levels.

• This eagle is an opportunistic forager and an aerial hunter.

• It glides from concealed perches over marshes or wet fields to catch prey, which includes small mammals, frogs, smaller birds, and occasionally reptiles and insects.

• The Greater Spotted Eagle is migratory, breeding across Eastern Europe, parts of Central Europe, central Russia, central Asia, and parts of China.

• During winter, they migrate primarily to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the upper Mediterranean Basin, and parts of East Africa.

• Unfortunately, the Greater Spotted Eagle is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

• Its populations are threatened by habitat destruction, collisions with objects, and hybridization with the lesser spotted eagles.

The spotted eagle is a common name for two closely related species of large birds of prey: the greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga) and the lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina).
Both species belong to the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as booted eagles, because they have feathers covering their legs.

The greater spotted eagle is slightly larger and darker than the lesser spotted eagle, and has a single white mark on the wrist of the underwing.
The lesser spotted eagle is paler and more contrasting, and has a white patch on the shoulder and a white band on the tail.
Juveniles of both species have white spots on the back and upper wings, but these fade as they mature.

The spotted eagles are migratory birds that breed in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and parts of China.
They prefer wetland habitats such as marshes, bogs, and rivers, where they hunt for small mammals, frogs, and birds.
They also scavenge carrion and human waste.
During winter, they migrate to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, where they often share their habitat with other eagles.

The spotted eagles are known for their frequent hybridization, which poses a threat to their genetic diversity and conservation.
The two species often interbreed where their ranges overlap, producing fertile offspring that can also mate with either parent species.
This results in a complex pattern of gene flow and introgression that makes it difficult to distinguish pure and hybrid individuals.
The greater spotted eagle, which is rarer and more vulnerable, is especially affected by this phenomenon, as it may lose its unique characteristics and identity.

The spotted eagle is a large bird of prey that belongs to the genus Clanga.
It has feathered legs and very broad wings.
It is mostly dark brown in color, but has a white mark at the wrist of the underwing.
The juvenile has white spots on the back and upper wings, which fade as it matures.
The spotted eagle lives in forests near wetlands, where it hunts small mammals, frogs and birds.
It builds a stick nest in a large tree and lays one to three eggs.
It is closely related to the lesser spotted eagle, but is larger, darker and less contrasting.
The spotted eagle is vulnerable to extinction due to habitat loss, persecution and hybridization with the lesser spotted eagle.
It migrates from Eastern Europe and Asia to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East in winter.
The spotted eagle is a magnificent and powerful bird that needs our protection.