See list of all eagles here


Golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos   
SYN: Aguila daurada, Arrano beltz

UK: Golden Eagle Steinadler, FR: Aigle royal ES: Aguila Real, CZ: orel skalní DA: Kongeorn
DU: Steenarend PL: orzel przedni, IT: Aquila reale FI: Maakotka, SE: Kungsörn NO: Kongeorn
TR: kaya kartaly SK: Orol skalný, EE: Kaljukotkas LV: Klinšu erglis,

  
© Lubomir Hlasek

The Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles,
it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas.

Subadult, note white in tail and dark neck.Adult Golden Eagles range widely in size across their range.
The largest subspecies are among the largest eagles of the genus Aquila. Length may vary from 66 to 100 cm (26-40 in),
wingspan can range from 150 to 240 cm (59-95 in), and weight is from 2.5 to 7 kg (5.5-15.4 lb).
As with many Falconiformes, females are considerably larger than males, in the case of the Golden Eagle they weigh
one-fourth to one-third again as much as male birds.





© Josef Hlasek

The plumage colours range from black-brown to dark brown, with a striking golden-buff crown and nape, which give the bird
its name. The upper wings also have an irregular lighter area. Immature birds resemble adults, but have a duller more mottled appearance. Also they have a white-banded tail and a white patch at the carpal joint, that gradually disappear with every moult
until full adult plumage is reached in the fifth year.


Golden eagles in flight
BBC Natural History Unit
http://www.arkive.org/golden-eagle/aquila-chrysaetos/video-06c.html

Catching a fox eating on a carcass. This picture you can find several places on the net, and photograpeher said to be unknown.
However, it looks liek it comes from a video by Pekka Komi in Finland, so may be © Pekka Komi.




Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga


© http://www.ecosystema.ru/

The Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga, occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The typical eagles are often united with the buteos, Buteo, sea eagles, Haliaetus, and other more heaviset Accipitridae, but it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks than believed.

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) at Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.
Photo: J.M.Garg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Great_spotted_Eagle_I2_IMG_8358.jpg

It is 59–71 cm in length and has a wingspan of 157–179 cm and a typical body mass of 1.6–2.5 kg, with an occasional big female weighing up to 3.2 kg. This medium-sized eagle is very similar in general appearance to its closest relative the Lesser Spotted Eagle, Aquila pomarina, which shares part of its range. Head and wing coverts are very dark brown and contrast with the generally medium brown plumage; the Lesser Spotted Eagle has a paler head and wing coverts. The head is small for an eagle. The similarities of the Greater Spotted to the Lesser Spotted often results in misidentification as being that species. This is further complicated by occasional hybrids between the two species.

In winter, it occurs in the range of the Indian Spotted Eagle, Aquila hastata. From this recently-validated relative, it can be distinguished by the darker color and lighter eye (not darker than the body plumage at distance, lighter at close range), and in juveniles, the strong spotting. It is also a bit larger – though this cannot be reliably estimated in the field – and in the winter quarters prefers wetland habitat.

Greater spotted eagle - overview
Video: Granada Wild, Audio: Natural FX & BBC Natural History Sound Library
www.arkive.org

This is a species of fairly wooded country, which hunts small mammals and similar, mainly terrestrial prey. It breeds from northern Europe across Asia, and winters in southeastern Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. Migration to breeding grounds takes place fairly late; in Bhutan for example birds can be seen with some regularity until the end of March. This eagle lays 1-3 eggs in a tree nest. Generally territorial, juveniles spend some time with their parents after fledging, until they reach sexual maturity and seek out a territory and a mate of their own. In winter quarters, the species is more social. Small flocks of up to ten birds or so, of varying age, can be seen to patrol the land together. They also associate with other Accipitridae in winter quarters, like local and/or migrant Black Kites, Milvus migrans lineatus and govinda) or Steppe Eagles, Aquila nipalensis, distinctly smaller and larger raptors, respectively.

This species is prone to vagrancy. Its regular breeding range does not reach to Germany anymore these days, but still they are not rarely met with in that country, with a few birds seen every decade. An adult Greater Spotted was tagged with a satellite transponder in 1993 in order to track migration. The tagged eagle migrated a total of 5,526 kilometers from its wintering grounds in Yemen to it breeding grounds in western Siberia. It moved 150 km on average each day, but this increased to 280 km per day as the bird flew through Mesopotamia. It is classified as Vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN. As of 2000, the world population of this eagle was estimated at less than 4,000 breeding pairs. The primary threats are habit degradation and habitat loss, as well as human disturbance during the mating season.

Steppe Eagle and/or Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax / Aquila nipalensis/


Steppe Eagle, Aquila rapax, At Wildpark Tripsdrill, Germany
Photo: 4028mdk09, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aquila_nipalensis_2010.JPG

The Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax, is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the migratory Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy, two molecular studies, each based on a very small number of genes, indicate that the species are distinct but disagree over how closely related they are. The Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the non-migratory Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific.....etc

Steppe Eagle, Aquila rapax, Picture date : 05.2006
Picture location: Russia Astrakhan Region

The Tawny Eagle. This is a large eagle although it is one of the smaller species in the Aquila genus. It is 60–75 cm in length and has a wingspan of 159–190 cm. Weight can range from 1.6 to 3 kg . It has tawny upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. The lower back is very pale. This species is smaller and paler than the Steppe Eagle, although it does not share that species' pale throat. Immature birds are less contrasted than adults, but both show a range of variation in plumage colour. The Steppe Eagle. It is about 62–81 cm in length and has a wingspan of 1.65–2.15 m. Females, weighing 2.3–4.9 kg , are slightly larger than males, at 2–3.5 kg. This is a large eagle with brown upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. This species is larger and darker than the Tawny Eagle, and it has a pale throat which is lacking in that species. Immature birds are less contrasted than adults, but both show a range of variation in plumage colour. The eastern race Aquila nipalensis nipalensis is larger and darker than the European and Central Asian Aquila nepalensis orientalis.

Steppe Eagle , Aquila rapax, Picture date : 05.2006
Picture location: Russia Astrakhan Region

The Tawny Eagle.It breeds in most of Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across tropical southwestern Asia to India. It is a resident breeder which lays 1–3 eggs in a stick nest in a tree, crag or on the ground. Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi-desert, steppes, or savannah, plains. The Steppe Eagle breeds from Romania east through the south Russian and Central Asian steppes to Mongolia. The European and Central Asian birds winter in Africa, and the eastern birds in India. It lays 1–3 eggs in a stick nest in a tree. Throughout its range it favours open dry habitats, such as desert, semi-desert, steppes, or savannah.

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