Greater Spotted Eagle. Species: Aquila clanga = Greater Spotted Eagle. The photo shows a spotted eagle chick

And they are often confused. But it is the spotted eagle that can often be found on the streets of resort towns, seen in circuses and films as tame birds that show amazing intelligence, intelligence, loyalty to humans and patience with people’s attention. The spotted eagle's gaze is filled with wisdom and insight.

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There are two main types of spotted eagle – large and small. The difference between them, according to their names, is the size of the birds. The greater spotted eagle has a wingspan of 170 to 190 cm, weight is in the range of 2-4 kg, body length is 65-75 cm. The plumage is predominantly dark with light streaks. Individuals with light colored plumage are very rarely found.

The Lesser Spotted Eagle is a smaller copy of the large one; the wingspan of this bird is from 100 to 130 cm, weight is from 1.5 to 2 kg, body length is 55-65 cm. The color of the plumage is no different.

Spotted eagles are birds of prey, skilled hunters who never feed on carrion, even if they happen to be left completely without food. Their prey can be very diverse, the main criterion for it is size. Spotted eagles most often hunt small mammals and birds.

Mouse, gopher, rabbit, hare, frog, snake, quail - this is an approximate list of the main diet of spotted eagles. In addition, this species loves to drink and swim in water. The only one of all eagles, the spotted eagle, calmly enters the water, plunging its paws into it.

The Greater Spotted Eagle can also choose piglets, turkeys and hens, and black grouse as hunting objects. But on farms, spotted eagles begin to hunt only in cases where they lack their usual natural food.

Bird distribution

The spotted eagle's habitat is quite wide. The birds are distributed from Finland all the way to the coast of the Azov Sea. In addition, the predator is found in China and Mongolia. It is in Mongolia that the spotted eagle is actively tamed and used by local residents for hunting and protecting their homes from wolves.

Spotted eagles are migratory birds that go to wintering grounds in India, Africa, and the countries of the Middle East (Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, the Indochina Peninsula).

The spotted eagle cannot live in steppes or deserts, since the bird builds its nests on tall trees. In such conditions, it can only be found near rivers, where the spotted eagle finds suitable places for nesting. In the northern regions of their habitat, birds settle on the edges of forests, which border on meadows and fields, and sometimes even swamps.

Common Spotted Eagle Species

The bird's body length is from 65 to 75 cm, weight is in the range of 2-4 kg. Sexual dimorphism is manifested only in the fact that females are larger in size than males. The color of the plumage of adults over 3 years old is uniform, dark brown, with a light nape and undertail. The flight feathers are black with light bases, the tail feathers are dark brown, with a black transverse pattern. Some individuals have an ocher-yellowish color instead of brown. Light-colored Greater Spotted Eagles with buffy-golden plumage are extremely rare. In young birds, the plumage is decorated with light teardrop-shaped spots on the back, which gradually disappear. The beak and claws are black. The cere and paws, feathered to the toes, are yellow.

The species is widespread in Europe (Finland, Poland, Hungary, Romania) and Asia (Mongolia, China, Pakistan). In Russia, the bird nests from Kaliningrad to Primorye. It goes to India, Iran and Indochina for wintering.

Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina)

Body length is from 55 to 65 cm, wing length is 44-51 cm, weight is in the range of 1.5-2 kg.

The bird's habitat is divided into two separate regions. The first one occupies the territory of mixed forests near St. Petersburg, Novgorod, in the west of the Moscow and Tula regions. In addition, the bird lives in the west to the Elbe Valley, in Hungary, Macedonia, Greece, south to the Black Sea, Iraq, Turkey, and India.

Indian Spotted Eagle (Aquila hastata)

The body length of the species is about 65 cm. It is a stocky, medium-sized bird with a large head, short, wide wings and a short tail. The plumage of adults is brown.

Breeds in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal.

Sexual dimorphism in spotted eagles is manifested in the difference in size of females and males. Females are usually larger than their partners.

The spotted eagle is a social and family bird. This is a monogamous species that mates once and for all. Spotted eagles also use their nest many times in a row, building and repairing it every year.

A pair of spotted eagles either builds a nest on their own or occupies an empty nest of black storks or hawks. In order for these birds to begin arranging a new nest, something completely unthinkable must happen, for example, a strong hurricane, or a person who cut down a tree will be nearby.

Spotted eagles arrive at their nesting sites in late March or early April and begin renovating the nest.

At the beginning of May, the female lays a clutch, which usually consists of one white egg with brown spots. Two or three eggs for a spotted eagle are very rare. The female does the incubation, and the male gets food for himself and for her.

The incubation period lasts about 40 days. The hatched chicks begin to fly at the age of 7-9 weeks, around mid-August. At this time, they learn to fly and hunt, which is not very easy for young birds, and it is during this period that they can often be caught and tamed.

In natural conditions, the life expectancy of spotted eagles is from 20 to 25 years; in captivity they live up to 30 years.

Spotted Eagle Voice

• Greater spotted eagles, white, sandy or cream colored, were considered sacred birds that bring the will of the gods in ancient cultures. In medieval Europe, it was very prestigious to have such a tame bird and go hunting with it, which was considered a clear sign of the owner’s wealth and luxury. The tame sand-colored spotted eagle was, for example, a favorite of King Frederick of Prussia. And in China, the spotted eagle was a hero of fairy tales and legends, who allegedly hunted werefoxes and helped people on patrol on the towers of the Great Wall of China.
• Spotted eagles are smart and cunning birds that can adapt to changing living conditions. So, for example, if a bird nests near a colony of ground squirrels or voles, it hunts prey from ambush and does not rise high into the air to do this, as it usually does.
• The spotted eagle has a very calm and peaceful character, as well as a sharp mind. Thanks to these qualities, people began to tame and train the spotted eagle. This was written about in almanacs of the 19th century. And today the Mongols and Bashkirs continue to hunt together with spotted eagles. To make a human companion out of a spotted eagle, they choose a teenage chick that can fly and feeds on its own, but has never flown with the flock to its wintering grounds and has not had time to create a pair. Stories are told that if a wounded spotted eagle is released, it will not fly away, but will remain to live with its owner. This is possible if the bird has not been able to fully recover or if it does not have a mate. The family spotted eagle will certainly return to its native nest.
• In recent years, the spotted eagle population has begun to decline. The causes were human activities such as deforestation, building roads, expanding cities, and installing power lines. For these reasons, predators were included in the Red Book, and the greater spotted eagle was on the verge of extinction.

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A large, beautiful bird of prey, soaring for hours in the sky over meadows and fields, arriving in the spring and flying away for the winter, this is - spotted eagle. Many have probably seen on the streets of resort towns, in circuses, in films, large, predatory tame animals, demonstrating amazing intelligence, in no way inferior to the same dogs in intelligence, loyalty to humans and patience in relation to increased attention.

Even in photographs from film sets or simply from streets filled with tourists, one can see with what wisdom and insight these birds look. Quite a lot of people think that this is either, but in most of these photo – spotted eagle.

Features and habitat of the spotted eagle

The peculiarity of these beauties soaring in the sky is their division into two types:

• big;
• small.

The difference between the species is only in the size of the feathered hunters. Greater Spotted Eagle reaches a wingspan of 170-190 cm, weighs from 2 to 4 kg, and grows in length to 65-75 cm. The color of the feathers is usually dark, with light inclusions. But sometimes there are also light-colored birds, which is extremely rare.

White, sandy or cream-colored feathers, greater spotted eagles were considered sacred in a number of cultures, bringing the will of the gods. In the late Middle Ages in Europe, it was considered extremely prestigious to have such a bird as a tamed one; going hunting with it ensured complete triumph and emphasized status and wealth.

In the photo there is a great spotted eagle

King Frederick of Prussia had such a delicately sandy tame spotted eagle, who actively fought with everyone, including. Lesser Spotted Eagle is a copy of a large one, its wingspan when soaring reaches 100-130 cm, such a “miniature” bird weighs from one and a half to two kilograms, and its body length reaches 55-65 cm.

These birds are old friends of the Don Cossacks. Even in the century before last, it was practically impossible to look into the sky above the Don and not notice spotted eagles soaring in it. Also, this species of birds of prey circled over the Volga, and over the Neva, and over the forests near Moscow. Almost over the entire European territory and beyond.

According to historical documentary descriptions, it was the Lesser Spotted Eagles that accompanied Vladislav Tepes and Malyuta Skuratov. A similar bird was presented to Otrepyev as a gift at the wedding feast after his wedding to Mrs. Mnishek, but it is unknown whether False Dmitry belonged to a lesser spotted eagle or a large one.

In the photo the bird is the Lesser Spotted Eagle

The habitat of these smartest and most beautiful is quite wide. They can be found from Finland to the latitudes of the Azov Sea. Spotted eagles also live in and partly in Mongolia.

In Mongolia, they are most actively tamed and used for hunting and protecting yurts from. In China, the spotted eagle is a character in many fairy tales, and legends attribute these birds to participation in the hunt for werefoxes and assistance in patrolling the towers of the Great Wall of China.

Spotted eagles fly to the countries of the Middle East - Pakistan, Iraq and Iran, and the Indochina Peninsula to spend the winter. In addition to migratory species of these birds that are similar to each other, in India there is a separate species of these birds - Indian spotted eagle.

It is smaller than its “relatives”, has strong legs, a wide and stocky body and prefers to hunt frogs, snakes and other birds. The wingspan rarely exceeds 90 cm, and the body length is 60 cm. However, the “Indian” weighs significantly - from 2 to 3 kg.

It is also easily tamed and, according to the notes of the British who studied the nature and way of life of India during colonization, at that time there was not a single rajah, vizier or simply rich person in the country who did not have a tame spotted eagle, which replaced mongooses in rich palaces , living mainly among Hindus of middle castes and income.

Speaking about the habitat of spotted eagles, it should be noted that they do not live in bare steppes, since they nest in tall trees. Therefore, in the steppe it can only be seen near rivers, where there are conditions for nesting. In more northern latitudes, birds choose forest edges bordering meadows and fields. Also, spotted eagles do not refuse nesting above.

However, there is a lot of evidence from hunters and gamekeepers that the spotted eagle can be seen leisurely walking along the paths, but how true this evidence is is unknown.

Character and lifestyle of the spotted eagle

spotted eagle – bird extremely social and family-oriented, and at the same time very homely. A pair is formed for life, just like a nest. Family birds can build it themselves, or take an empty nest, hawks or other large birds. In any case, from year to year they will return to this particular nest, constantly improving it, repairing it and insulating it.

In order for them to start setting up a new nesting site and build other “homes” for themselves, something out of the ordinary must happen, for example, a hurricane, or a lumberjack with a chainsaw.

It was the deforestation of people, the construction of roads, the expansion of cities, the installation of power lines that became the reason why birds appeared on the pages Red Book, A great spotted eagle was on the verge of extinction. Spotted eagles are not just smart birds, they are also quite cunning, capable of perceiving new conditions and adapting to them.

This is evidenced by the fact that if it is possible not to look for food, for example, when nesting near a colony or, the spotted eagle does not soar at its usual height of a thousand meters, but attacks from a place, from an ambush.

The bird has a peaceful character, a calm disposition, and a sharp and curious mind. It was these qualities that made the training of these birds possible. ABOUT taming And callout spotted eagles wrote very actively in the mid-19th century in the regular almanacs “Nature and Hunting” and “Hunting Calendar”.

Also, this process, then called calling out, is now training, but essentially is training a bird to hunt, by analogy with, is described in detail in S. Levshin’s book “A Book for Hunters,” published in 1813 and reprinted until the 50s of the last century , and in the works of S. Aksakov, in the part entitled “Hunting for Quails with a Hawk,” first published in 1886.

Since then, nothing has changed, except that today only the Bashkirs and Mongols use these birds for hunting. As for taming the spotted eagle, there is only one nuance.

The future human companion must be a teenage chick, already capable of flying and feeding on its own, but has never flown with the flock to the winter quarters and does not have a mate. There are stories about how wounded birds were picked up and the spotted eagles recovered and did not fly away.

This is possible, but only if the flight qualities have not been fully restored, and the bird feels this, knowing full well that it cannot survive in nature even if the spotted eagle is alone. The family bird will definitely return to its nest at the first opportunity.

Spotted eagle nutrition

Spotted eagles are predators and hunters, but not scavengers. They can take as their prey almost anything that is suitable in size – from small mammals to birds. However, even a completely hungry spotted eagle will not touch carrion.

The basis of the bird's diet is ground squirrels, and sometimes it hunts not only farm inhabitants, but also. However, spotted eagles fly to farms only if the “natural” food is not enough for them.

Spotted Eagle Reproduction and Lifespan

These beauties arrive to nest in late March early April, and then they begin routine repairs to the nest. Already in early May, eggs appear in the nest, usually only one.

Sometimes - two, but this is rare, and three eggs is simply an incredible phenomenon. The eggs are incubated by the female, while the male feeds her intensely, therefore, May is the time of the most intense hunting for these birds.

The chicks break their shells, on average, after 40 days, and fly on their wings at 7-9 weeks, usually in the middle zone this is mid-August. Young spotted eagles learn to fly and hunt in much the same way as children learn to ride a bicycle, that is, with falls and misses. This makes it possible to catch and tame them.

The photo shows a spotted eagle chick

In some traditional nesting areas, chicks do not appear every year; for example, in Estonia, a three-year break in the breeding of spotted eagles was recorded. It resumed only with the artificial eviction of voles into the fields near the nesting areas, which, as it turned out, were completely exterminated by local farmers a year before the chicks stopped appearing.

As for life expectancy, under favorable conditions, spotted eagles live for 20-25 years; in zoos they live up to 30. When kept in captivity, age data varies greatly, ranging from 15 to 30 years.

Great Spotted Eagle

Aquila clanga Pallas, 1811

Population: populations of the European part of Russia and the Far East

Spreading: Inhabits forest and forest-steppe zones to the north. to approximately 64°N. in European Russia and the Urals, up to 62° N. in the Ob valley, 63° N. in the Yenisei valley, 54° N. in the Baikal region, 53° N. in Transbaikalia, 52° N. in the Amur Valley and Primorye up to 49° N. South the range boundary runs approximately at 50° N latitude. in the bass Don, 53° N in the Volga valley, in the Asian part - along the state border of Russia. Outside Russia, the range extends to the west. to Finland, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, to the east. to North-East China.

Habitat: It nests mainly in tall, but not too dense, often swampy, forests located near water bodies: in river valleys, lake basins and among swamps. A necessary requirement is the presence of open feeding biotopes near the nesting site: floodplain meadows, swampy clearings, wastelands, swamps. Monogamous, sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age. Nesting sites take many years. The massive nest is located in a fork of the main trunk, often on deciduous trees. There are 2 eggs in the clutch, but one of the chicks almost always dies from the cannibalism of the second, so only one young bird flies. It feeds on a variety of vertebrates from hares to voles, the main diet being mouse-like rodents and amphibians. Winters in the southeast. Transcaucasia, Iran, Mesopotamia, India, Burma, and also in Egypt.

Number: The status of populations and population trends vary in different regions. In the forest-steppe of the European part of Russia it was under threat of complete extinction. Apparently, it has completely stopped nesting in the Kaluga, Tula and Voronezh regions. . In the Lipetsk region. There are 5-7 pairs left at the nesting site. In a number of regions of the forest-steppe Cis-Urals, the number remains quite high. In the forest areas of the center, north-west. and zap. In the European part of Russia, the number, compared to the first half of the century, has not decreased so significantly; now there is no sharp decline in the number; in some places it is stable. In the Tver region. About 30 pairs nest, in Moskovskaya - at least 10-15. 7-9 pairs have been nesting in the Oksky Nature Reserve for many years. In the Kaliningrad region. 10-14 pairs, the number increased slightly in the second half of the century. In the Leningrad region. no more than 18-20 pairs live. In the Upper Volga region the species is very rare and is in danger of complete extinction; a catastrophic decline in numbers has occurred over the past 30 years. In the Volga-Kama region in the first half of the 70s. the number decreased by 2.9 times and in the middle of this decade amounted to 1 individual/200 km of route. In the Perm region. There has been a strong decline in numbers and currently no more than 20 pairs are nesting. In the Asian part of the range, the number is very uneven. The spotted eagle has become extremely rare in the Middle Urals. In the 60s it was numerous in the Baraba Lowland - 3-24 pairs/100 km2 and on the Zeya-Bureya Plain in the Amur Region. - 1.3-2.7 pairs/100 km2. There are no modern data on the status of these populations. Survey data in other regions indicate the small number of the species. In Tyva, on an area of ​​1514 km2, only 3 nests were found. In the Malaya Sosva Nature Reserve (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), 1-3 pairs nested on an area of ​​922 km2. The species is not found at all in the region of the Bratsk Reservoir. and to the West. Altai. In general, the number of Greater Spotted Eagles in Russia does not exceed 3 thousand breeding pairs, of which 800-1000 live in the European part and, apparently, about 2 thousand in the Asian part. Among the anthropogenic factors, the nesting of the species is most negatively affected by the drainage and plowing of floodplain meadows, the cutting down of nesting trees and the drainage of swampy forest areas, and the increase in the disturbance factor (especially in the forest-steppe zone).

Security: Listed in the IUCN-96 Red List, Appendix 2 of CITES, Appendix 2 of the Bonn Convention, Appendix 2 of the Berne Convention, Annexes of bilateral agreements concluded by Russia with India and the DPRK on the protection of migratory birds. Individual nesting sites are protected in the Oksky, Mordovsky, Voronezh, Malaya Sosva, and Khingansky nature reserves; Meshchersky National Park, Zavidovo State Complex. The country's zoos contain only 2 individuals (Kaliningrad and Lipetsk), breeding has not been registered in recent years. Nests located in unprotected areas should be declared natural monuments with the establishment of a protective zone around the nest, with a complete ban on logging and reclamation work. It is advisable to build artificial nests and work on keeping one of the chicks in an aviary during the critical period of cannibalism, with subsequent return to the nest.

Aquila clanga Pallas, 1811

Order Falconiformes Family Accipitridae - Accipitridae

Short description. The eagle is medium in size, wingspan 155-180 cm, weight 1.6-3.2 kg. The plumage is very dark, with a lighter rump. Young birds have large white streaks on the wings and lower back, and a white stripe on the rump.

Habitats and biology. It nests in forests near large areas of wetlands (river floodplains, lakes, raised bogs). In spring on the river Irkut was observed on April 12, 1997. The clutch consists of two eggs, usually 1 chick is raised. Hatching occurs in the 20th of June, the young fly out of the nests in mid-August. The diet consists mainly of animals from semi-aquatic habitats - voles (housekeeper, water voles), muskrats, frogs, ducks and waders. If hunting areas include steppe grasslands, the long-tailed ground squirrel is an important prey item. On the southwestern coast of Baikal, autumn migration was usually observed from September 17 to 29, the earliest registration was September 2, the latest was October 4.

Spreading. Eurasia - from southern Finland, Poland, Romania and the former Yugoslavia east to Primorye and Northeast China. In the Irkutsk region it is found between the Sayans and the Trans-Siberian Railway, in bass. Upper Lena and (very rarely) in the forest-steppe. It is noted in the Ziminsky-Kuitunsky steppe area. Rare sightings are known in the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve. On the western coast of Lake Baikal, if it nests, it is very rare. To the north it was recorded on the rivers of the North Baikal and Patom highlands, in the Chunsky and Nizhneilimsky regions. At the end of the 19th century it was considered a breeding bird of Southern Baikal, in the 1930s. was the most numerous species of eagles in the Balagan-Nukuta forest-steppe. Now, most likely, it does not nest in these two areas. Reliable finds of nests (3 in total) are known for the Irkutsk-Cheremkhovo Plain and the left bank of the Irkutsk Reservoir.

Number. On the territory of the Ust-Orda Buryat District in the early 2000s. 2-5 pairs nested and 8-15 single individuals kept. The number in the Irkutsk region in 1996 was estimated at 40 pairs, in 2005 - 30. These figures refer to the territory from the foothills of the Sayan Mountains to the Upper Lena. Data from Yu.I. Melnikov make it possible to expand the range of the species in the Cis-Baikal region to the north. Accordingly, the total number may be 2-3 times higher. Its significant decrease occurred after the creation of the Angarsk cascade of reservoirs and the “upturning of virgin soil” in the 1950-60s, and it decreased in subsequent years.

Limiting factors. Anthropogenic conversion of wetlands poses a serious threat. Their most valuable areas were destroyed by the creation of the Angarsk reservoirs. The remaining waterlogged lands were later subjected to reclamation and development. Steppe meadows, which are a hunting biotope, were plowed up and built up. Forest fires pose a danger to nests. The disturbance factor has an impact: the species’ habitats are used for the construction of summer cottages, recreation, fishing, hay making and livestock grazing. It is not very careful and therefore vulnerable to poachers. Increased mortality is likely on wintering grounds in Southeast Asia.

Security measures taken and required. Included in the IUCN Red List, the Red Book of Birds of Asia, the Russian (except for Siberian populations) and regional (Irkutsk region, Republic of Buryatia) Red Books, CITES-I, RY, RI, RK. The cost standard used to “calculate the amount of harm caused to objects of the animal world” for Siberian populations of the Greater Spotted Eagle is 5 thousand rubles. (Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation dated April 28, 2008 No. 107). Inhabits the territory of the Pribaikalsky National Park and the Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve. It is necessary to include the populations of Siberia in the Red Book of the Russian Federation with an increase in the “cost standard”. Legislative bans on captivity and trade in taxidermy products are required. Wintering areas need to be clarified. Special protection of the species is needed both in Siberia and Southeast Asia.

Information sources: 1 - Krasnoshtanova, Fefelov, Malysheva, 2003; 2 - Melnikov, 1999a; 3 - Melnikov, 2008a; 4 - Ryabtsev, 1997a; 5 - Ryabtsev, 20036; b - Ryabtsev, Durnev, Fefelov, 2001; 7 - Skaloy, 1934; 8 - Sonin, Ryabtsev, 19936; 9 - Stepa-nyan, 2003; 10 - Ryabtsev, 2005; 11 -Taczanowski, 1893.

Compiled by: V.V. Ryabtsev.

Artist: D.V. Gumpylova.

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Appearance. Almost always very dark, uniform color, sometimes with a whitish spot on the rump. Juveniles have light teardrop-shaped dots on their upperparts. A flying bird's tail appears short.
The sonorous “kyak-kyak-kyak” and various trills.
Habitat. Mixed forests interspersed with river valleys, meadows, swamps and wetlands within the forest and forest-steppe zones.
Nutrition. It feeds on rodents, birds, frogs, snakes and large insects. Unlike other eagles, they often hunt not from the air, but on foot. Often lives near bodies of water where ducks nest. It also feeds on carrion.
Nesting sites. It nests in tall, sparse forests, usually near water bodies - in river valleys and swamps.
Nest location. It either builds a nest itself or occupies and rebuilds someone else’s. Located in trees, at a height of 8-12 m from the ground, sometimes up to 25 m.
Nest building material. It is built from relatively thick dry branches.
Shape and dimensions of the nest. The tray is flat, the litter is scanty, mainly made of bark and thin twigs. The nest usually contains fresh green branches. The diameter of the nest is 700-1200 mm, the height of the nest is 600-800 mm, the depth of the tray is about 50 mm.
Features of masonry. A clutch of 2 (sometimes 1) white eggs with purple and brownish streaks, usually not numerous. Egg dimensions: (66-72) x (51-54) mm.
Nesting dates. Arrival is in the second half of April. Masonry - in the first half of May. The chicks appear in the second half of June and fly out of the nests around mid-August. Departure takes place in September.
Spreading. The Greater Spotted Eagle is quite widespread in our country, reaching north to Lake Onega, to 60° north latitude in the Urals, to Tyumen and Yeniseisk; to the south - to the Caucasus and Tien Shan; to the east - to the Amur region and the Ussuri region. Outside our borders, it nests in Hungary and the Balkans. In the central zone it is found more frequently than the golden eagle, but is still very rare almost everywhere.
Wintering. Migratory species. Winters in India, Iran, Asia Minor and Indo-China.
Economic importance. Listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Description of Buturlin. The opposite golden eagle Spotted eagles can be counted among our eagles. These are medium-sized eagles, whose wingspan does not exceed 170-175 centimeters. The Greater Spotted Eagle has a wing 49-56 centimeters long. Adult spotted eagles painted brown; young ones are brown, with characteristic ocher-yellowish longitudinal streaks. We have two spotted eagles - large and small, differing from each other in size and details in the structure of the wing.
Spotted eagles prefer mixed forests interspersed with river valleys, meadows, swamps and mochezhins. Such open areas serve as favorite places hunting spotted eagles, which usually search for prey not on the fly, like most birds of prey, but on foot. This is explained by the fact that reptiles - reptiles and amphibians, as well as mice and voles - occupy a significant place in the diet of these eagles. The Greater Spotted Eagle follows birds more often than the Lesser Spotted Eagle; It often stays near bodies of water where ducks nest. Both greater and lesser spotted eagles willingly eat carrion. In their habits and movements, these eagles differ from golden eagles: they are less fast and agile, their flight is more even.
Greater Spotted Eagle arrives It’s early here - at the end of March in the middle zone, in mid-March in the south and in the first half of April in the east. After arrival, the birds repair their nests. In May there are already two motley birds in the nest eggs(rarely one or three), measuring approximately 6.8 x 5.4 centimeters. Incubation lasts about 1.5 months. Spotted eagles begin brooding after the first egg is laid, so there is a significant difference in development between chicks. This difference usually leads to the fact that the younger chick dies during the first two weeks after hatching from the persecution of the older one, but if the dangerous period has passed, then both chicks are raised safely by their parents.
In September-October - depending on the area, it begins departure spotted eagles for wintering grounds in India, Iran, Asia Minor and Indo-China. On departure, these eagles are sometimes observed in groups; more often they fly high one after another, in the same direction, but with large intervals. On the fly, you can sometimes hear the voice of a spotted eagle (like “eeh-ekh-ekh...” or “eef-eef-eef...”).
Lesser Spotted Eagle smaller in size; found in Central Europe and inhabits only the western parts of the country - east to the Leningrad and Western regions, as well as Ukraine, at least to the Poltava region. It also nests in Asia Minor, northern Iran and, apparently, in the Caucasus.

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