Greater Spotted Eagle - Distribution, Ecology and Status

Distribution, Ecology and Status

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 (A. 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. Even young birds disperse widely; the Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden has a specimen (C 21845) shot in November 1914 at Großgrabe near Bernsdorf in Saxony. It is a juvenile, and though its exact age cannot be determined it is heavily spotted and probably less than 20 months old.

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 (3,434 mi) from its wintering grounds in Yemen to it breeding grounds in western Siberia. It moved 150 km (93 mi) on average each day, but this increased to 280 km (170 mi) 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.