Lesser Spotted Eagle

Its head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. The head and bill are small for an eagle. Usually, a white patch occurs on the upper wings, and even adults retain a clearly marked white "V" on the rump; the wing markings are absent and the white "V" is not well-defined in the greater spotted eagle.

The juvenile has less contrast in the wings, but the remiges bear prominent white spots. It differs from greater spotted eagle juveniles by a lack of wing covert spotting and the presence of a cream-colored neck patch.

Distribution and habitat

The lesser spotted eagle breeds in Central and Eastern Europe and southeastward to Turkey and Armenia and winters in Africa. This is a very wary species of open or lightly wooded country.

Behaviour and ecology

The lesser spotted eagle uses regularly spaced territories consistently between years in the north-western part of its distribution. The distances between territories vary across the region, although this was not found to be related to breeding success. Synchronous variation in breeding success across the region indicates that the eagles are instead influenced by large-scale factors such as fluctuations in climate or prey availability. The lesser spotted eagle lays one to three white, buff-spotted eggs in a tree nest.

Hunting

In the northern part of their range they eat small mammals such as ground squirrels, rats, mice, and voles, along with birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, and insects. In their southern wintering grounds they eat frogs, reptiles, small birds and nestlings, insects, carrion, and termites. Most of their prey is 125 g or smaller. They are also known to steal food from other birds—behavior known as kleptoparasitism—in particular Milvus migrans (Black Kite).

Conservation status

These raptors have a large population and a sizeable range, but thousands may be shot during migration and they are under threat from habitat loss. They are currently listed as Least Concern by BirdLife International.