Clanga clanga
The Greater Spotted Eagle, *Clanga clanga*, is a medium-sized and robust raptor, typically measuring 60-70 cm in length with an impressive wingspan of 150-180 cm and weighing 1.6-2.5 kg. Adults exhibit a uniformly dark brown plumage, often with a subtle purple sheen, sometimes showing faint pale patches at the primary bases. Juveniles are distinctively marked with numerous white, tear-shaped spots on the upperparts and a pale streaked belly, gradually fading over several years. A prominent pa...
This species primarily inhabits extensive wetlands, including floodplains, marshy forests, peat bogs, and areas adjacent to large lakes and slow-moving rivers, typically found at low to moderate elevations.
The Greater Spotted Eagle has a diverse and opportunistic diet, primarily consisting of small mammals like rodents and voles, various birds (including waterfowl and passerines), amphibians (especially frogs), reptiles, fish, and large insects, often supplemented by carrion; it forages from perche...
Greater Spotted Eagles are diurnal, often spending considerable time perched covertly before launching into a hunt, and they typically roost in tall trees. Their foraging strategy is opportunistic, involving ambushing prey from a perch, walking on the ground to flush prey, or occasionally soaring...
The breeding range of the Greater Spotted Eagle stretches across Eastern Europe, from Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, extending eastward through central Asia to Mongolia and parts of northern China, with isolated pockets in other regions. Its extensive wintering grounds span Southern Europe...
Vulnerable
- The Greater Spotted Eagle often exhibits 'Cainism,' where the stronger, first-hatched chick kills its younger sibling, leading to only one chick successfully fledging per nest in most cases. - It frequently hybridizes with the Lesser Spotted Eagle (*Clanga pomarina*), creating identification ch...