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Greater spotted eagle
Immature individual at Tal Chhapar Sanctuary, Rajasthan. The spots will be lost in adulthood.
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Accipitriformes
Family:
Accipitridae
Genus:
Clanga
Species:
C. clanga
Binomial name
Clanga clanga
(Pallas, 1811)
Range of C. clanga
Breeding
Passage
Non-breeding
Synonyms
Aquila clanga
The greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), also called the spotted eagle, is a large migratory bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
It is a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, commonly known as "booted eagles".[2] It was once classified as a member of the genus Aquila, but has been reclassified to the distinct genus Clanga, along with the two other species of spotted eagle.[3]
During breeding season, greater spotted eagles are widely distributed across Eastern Europe, parts of Central Europe, central Russia, central Asia and parts of China, along with other isolated areas. During winter, they migrate, primarily to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the upper Mediterranean Basin, and parts of East Africa.[1][4] Greater spotted eagles favor wetter habitats than most other booted eagles, preferring riparian zones as well as bogs, lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water surrounded by woodland. They breed primarily on floodplains, especially ones that experience high water levels. During winter and migration, they often seek out similar wetland habitats, but have also been observed in dry upland areas such as savanna plateaus.[4][5]
The eagle is an opportunistic forager, especially during the winter. It will readily scavenge a variety of food sources, including carrion, as well as small mammals (principally rodents), frogs, and a variety of smaller birds (especially water birds), and occasionally reptiles and insects. The eagle is primarily an aerial hunter, gliding from concealed perches over marshes or wet fields to catch prey.[4][5][6][clarification needed]
This species builds stick nests in large trees, laying a clutch of one to three eggs. The female of a pair incubates and broods the young while the male hunts and delivers prey. Parents rarely raise more than one fledgling per year.[7][8] As is common among a few species of raptors, the oldest chick is much larger than its younger siblings, and will often attack and kill the younger siblings.[9]
The greater spotted eagle's range overlaps with the closely-related lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina). The two species are known to breed together frequently, forming hybrid offspring, which is detrimental to the population of the rarer greater spotted eagles.[10] The greater spotted eagle is classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Its populations are threatened by habitat destruction, collisions with objects, and hybridization with lesser spotted eagles.[4][11]
^ abcBirdLife International (2021). "Clanga clanga". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696027A203868747. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696027A203868747.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
^Helbig, A. J., Kocum, A., Seibold, I., & Braun, M. J. (2005). A multi-gene phylogeny of aquiline eagles (Aves: Accipitriformes) reveals extensive paraphyly at the genus level. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 35(1), 147-164.
^Helbig, A. J., Seibold, I., Kocum, A., Liebers, D., Irwin, J., Bergmanis, U., Meyburg, B.-U., Scheller, W., Stubbe, M. & Bensch, S. (2005). Genetic differentiation and hybridization between greater and lesser spotted eagles (Accipitriformes: Aquila clanga, A. pomarina). The Journal of Ornithology, 146(3), 226-234.
^ abcdFerguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-12762-3.
^ abNaoroji, R., & Schmitt, N. J. (2007). Birds of prey of the Indian subcontinent. Om Books International.
^Karyakin, I. V. (2008). The Greater Spotted Eagle in the Volga region, Ural Mountains and western Siberia. Raptors Conservation, 11, 23-69.
^Brown, L. & Amadon, D. (1986) Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. The Wellfleet Press. ISBN 978-1555214722.
^Väli, Ü. (2004). The greater spotted eagle Aquila clanga and the lesser spotted eagle A. pomarina: taxonomy, phylogeography and ecology. Tartu University Press.
^Watson, Jeff (2010). The Golden Eagle. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-1420-9.
^Väli, Ü., Dombrovski, V., Treinys, R., Bergmanis, U., Daroczi, S. J., Dravecky, M., Ivanovski, V., Lontkowski, J, Maciorowski, G., Meyburg, B.-U., Mizera, T., Zeitz, R. & Ellegren, H. (2010). Widespread hybridization between the greater spotted eagle Aquila clanga and the lesser spotted eagle Aquila pomarina (Aves: Accipitriformes) in Europe. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 100(3), 725-736.
^Väli, Ü. (2015). Monitoring of spotted eagles in Estonia in 1994-2014: Stability of the lesser spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina) and decline of the greater spotted eagle (A. clanga). Slovak Raptor Journal, 9(1), 55.
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against 45% for steppe eagles, 46% for Pallas's fish eagle, 49% for greaterspottedeagle and 65% for Indian spottedeagle. Other studies on the interactions...
Bonelli's eagle and the African hawk-eagle have been moved from Hieraaetus to Aquila. Either the greaterspottedeagle and lesser spottedeagle should move...
and 60,000, mostly Anatidae. Globally threatened species such as GreaterSpottedEagle, Oriental Darter, Black-headed ibis and Spot-billed Pelican were...
drooping wing flight method, peculiar to the steppe eagle as well as to the greaterspottedeagle, is sometimes also called the "tuck", and is thought...
between the sexes. For example, the greaterspottedeagle (Clanga clanga), the most sexually dimorphic booted eagle overall with a linear difference between...
cattle egret, purple heron, red-necked falcon, red-headed vulture, greaterspottedeagle, and bronze-winged jacana. Department of Tourism, Govt. of Assam...
birds that includes most of the diurnal birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, vultures, and kites, but not falcons. For a long time, the majority view...
Vulnerable species including the sarus crane (Grus antigone) and greaterspottedeagle (Aquila clanga) are also found. Ecosystem services provided include...
are a subfamily of eagles of the family Accipitridae. The general common name used for members of this subfamily is "booted eagle", although this is also...
to spend the winter here, among them the greaterspottedeagle, eastern imperial eagle and Pallas's fish-eagle. Common sightings include brahminy ducks...
park home. Raptors including the GreaterSpottedEagle, Juvenile Imperial Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Short-toed Snake Eagle, and Long-legged Buzzard are also...