Lesser spotted eagle
| Lesser Spotted Eagle | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Sub-order | Accipitres |
| Family Information | |
| Superfamily | Accipitroidea |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Sub-family | Aquilinae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Clanga |
| Species Information | |
| Species | C. pomerina |
| Synonyms | Aquila pomerina |
| Population statistics | |
| Population | 40,000-60,000 (2016 est.)[1] |
| Conservation status | Least concern[2] |
The lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found throughout eastern Europe.
Description
The lesser spotted eagle is medium-sized, about 21.7 to 26.4 inches in length, a wingspan of 57.5 to 66.2 inches, and weigh between 2.5 to 4.8 pounds. Females are 15% larger than males. Adult birds are a dark brown overall, marked with a warmer, lighter brown to cream on the feather tips of the head and upper and lower wing coverts; the primary and secondary flight feathers are a monochrome dark brown-gray. The inner wing base is whitish, while the upper tail covert bears a white "V" mark. The iris is orange-yellow, the toes are yellow, and the the beak is yellow and black. Juvenile birds are generally a darker brown in color, but with a rusty to creamy-yellow diffuse spot on the neck, and white spots on the flight feathers. The iris is brown. Juveniles do not gain their adult plumage until after three years of age.
The call has been described as a quick "chee-up" or "hee-up", similar to the yips of a small dog[3].
Range
The lesser spotted eagle breeds within east-central Europe, from Poland eastwards towards the Baltic States and eastern Russia, south to the northern limit of the Balkans. Scattered breeding areas occur on the western and southern side of the Balkans, central Germany, Greece, Turkey, and northern Iran. Migration routes over the Balkans and into the Middle East take them to their winter range in east-central Africa, south to the edge of the Namib and Kalahari deserts and northern South Africa.
Habitat
In the northern area of its range (Germany, Poland, Baltic States, Russia) it inhabits wet lowlands with deciduous and mixed forests and adjacent wet meadows and bogs. From Slovakia and Hungary and further south, however, it lives in the mostly dry hills and mountains, loosely populated with deciduous forest and interspersed with meadows, up to an elevation of 4,900 feet. In the southern are of its range (northeastern Greece) it lives almost exclusively in dry pine forests at heights between 300 and 900 feet, avoiding deciduous forests if they are present.