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Steppe Eagle

Steppe Eagle

Aquila nipalensis

Identify the Steppe Eagle by sound or photo and log your sightings with Birdpass.

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The Steppe Eagle is a large, dark brown booted eagle of the open steppe and the only eagle that nests mainly on the ground. It breeds from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Mongolia and China and migrates in huge numbers through the Middle East, along the Red Sea and over the Himalayas to Africa and South Asia. Its numbers have more than halved due to nest losses, persecution and widespread electrocution on power lines, and it is listed as Endangered.

Did you know?

  • It is the only eagle that nests mainly on the ground.
  • It appears on the flag of Kazakhstan and is the national bird of Kazakhstan and Egypt.

About the species

Identification

A large, mostly dark brown eagle with broad wings, a relatively short tail and a protruding head and neck. The yellow gape line extends well behind the eye, giving a “long-billed” look. Juveniles show pale bands along the wing coverts and pale tips to the flight and tail feathers. Told from Golden Eagle by the shorter tail and flatter wing posture, and from Lesser Spotted Eagle by its larger size and more massive head.

Family

Accipitridae

Size

Very large (swan)

Colours

brown, black, yellow

About the habitat

Open, largely treeless steppe, semi-desert and arid grassland, as well as agricultural plains; avoids dense forest.

Diet

On the breeding grounds mainly ground squirrels and other burrowing rodents; also birds, reptiles and large insects. In winter it often scavenges at carcasses, slaughterhouses and landfills and feeds on insect swarms such as termites.

Behaviour

A soaring migrant that uses thermals to travel and search for food. It often stands or walks on the ground and perches on poles, and may gather loosely at carcasses or other rich food sources. It nests on the ground on slight rises or rocky outcrops, or on low trees and pylons, usually laying 1–3 eggs and raising 1–2 young.

Sources

Photo: Sumeet Moghe, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steppe Eagle Portrait.jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppe_eagle

See also