Lesser Spotted Eagle

The Lesser Spotted Eagle breeds in lowland and mixed forest across eastern and central Europe and the Caucasus, wintering far south in sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of two closely related 'spotted eagle' species that were once considered a single group, and it is generally the smaller and paler-winged of the pair.

Flight feathers are long, broad, and deeply fingered at the tips, with a pale, crescent-shaped patch visible at the base of the outer primaries on the upperwing in flight. Body feathers are a fairly uniform dark brown, less blackish than the Greater Spotted Eagle, and juveniles show rows of white spots along the tips of wing covert feathers that fade with successive molts as birds mature. Overall the wings are narrower and the flight silhouette lighter than the bulkier Greater Spotted Eagle.

Adults are a fairly even, medium-to-dark brown overall, sometimes with a paler nape patch, and lack strong barring or spotting. Juveniles show neat rows of white spots on the wing covert feathers, which diminish with age and largely disappear by adulthood. There is no pronounced seasonal plumage change beyond the wear and fading typical of raptor feathers between molts.

This eagle breeds in mixed and deciduous forest edges adjacent to wet meadows, marshes, and farmland across central and eastern Europe into the Caucasus. It is a long-distance migrant, wintering primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, and travels along well-defined overland flyways to avoid large water crossings.

It feeds on amphibians, small mammals, and large insects, frequently hunting on the ground as much as from the air. Nests are built in tall forest trees near open wetland habitat, and the species gives a high, yelping call, most vocal during the breeding season.