Booted eagle

The booted eagle is a small eagle, comparable to the common buzzard in size though more eagle-like in shape. There are two relatively distinct plumage forms. Pale birds are mainly light grey with a darker head and flight feathers. The other form has mid-brown plumage with dark grey flight feathers. It was found in a study investigating polymorphism that these discrete colour morphs follow a Mendelian inheritance pattern, where the paler allele is dominant.

In South Africa, 20% of the population is the dark colour morph. Booted eagles are typically seen in pairs or as solitary individuals. However, the study found that the darker morphs are much more common in the eastern populations such as in Russia.

The call is a shrill kli-kli-kli.

Distribution and habitat

Booted Eagles are small to medium-sized brown eagles with a large range across several continents. Their range spans from southern Europe to southern Central Asia and the Middle East, with a narrower range extending across Iran, the Himalayas, and Mongolia. There are also breeding populations in Namibia and South Africa. Eurasian populations are migratory and winter in sub-Saharan Arica and the Indian subcontinent, leaving their northern range in late August and usually deserting them by mid-October.

Hunting

Their diet consists of a wide range of animals including birds, small mammals, reptiles, rodents, amphibians, and insects. Nest-robbing has also been recorded.

Booted Eagles hunt by perching from a lookout or on the ground, or by circling open country at 10-250 meters. They occasionally chase birds in and out of the tree canopy, though much of their prey is caught on the ground. They have also been known to hunt near villages and cities.

Conservation status

Booted Eagles are currently listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International, though the population is decreasing due to loss of forest habitat, persecution, disturbance, and prey depletion.