Family:
The spotted eagle, also known as the greater spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey with broad, long wings with blunt tips, a short neck, and a short tail. Its plumage is mostly blackish-brown, with a pale patch at the base of the primaries and a pale U-shaped marking on the rump. It has a shaggy crest at the back of its head, and a yellow beak, legs, and feet. Males and females look similar, though females are significantly larger.
A pale morph, Clanga clanga fulvescens, has bi-coloured plumage, with a light yellow or pale golden-buff body contrasting with black tail feathers, flight feathers, and greater wing coverts.
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The spotted eagle is an opportunistic feeder, consuming a wide variety of prey. Its diet includes small mammals such as voles, hedgehogs, rabbits, rats, and moles, as well as birds like snipes, mallards, and water rails. It also hunts amphibians and reptiles and occasionally feeds on fish and insects.
During breeding season, the spotted eagle is found in Eastern Europes, parts of Central Europe, central Russia, Central Asia, and parts of China. It migrates to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the upper Mediterranean Basin, and parts of East Africa for the winter.
Its preferred habitat includes open wet forests, woodlands, marshes, bogs, and wet meadows. In winter, it can also be found in human-made environments such as lakes, reservoirs, and rubbish dumps.
