Lesser Spotted Eagle
Aquila pomerina
The smallest real eagle of the genus Aquila in the western palearctic. It is a nicely proportioned bird with fairly long wings and tail. This is a chocolate brown bird with two colour morphs - one is dark plain choc and the other has a hint of milk.
This is a summer migrant to eastern Europe and winters in East Africa - where it migrates on the classic Eastern Mediterranean route. It breeds in all sorts of habitats but over much of the range is a bird of wetlands and woodlands. Feeds on small mammals mostly but will take amphibians and small and medium- sized birds.
A typical though small eagle.
Length 630 mm Closed wing 475 mm Weight 1,500 gms A Bird On! Sketch by Chris Mead
Copyright © 1996 by Jacobi Jayne & Company and Chris Mead