Bird Album
Greater Spotted Eagle
Clanga clanga (Pallas, 1811)
59–74 cmLength170 cmWingspan2.2 kgWeight
This large, blackish-brown raptor has a conspicuous yellow cere and gape corners against its dark body.
Busiest months: November–February · Most records: India, United Arab Emirates, Israel
Looks like Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill grayish-black, cere and gape corners yellow
- Adult mostly dark brown to blackish-brown, sometimes with a purple metallic gloss
- Legs and feet yellow
- Narrow white U-shaped marking above tail, often hidden at rest
Male, female and young
Female larger; sexes similar in plumage. Juvenile blackish-brown, with white to yellow teardrop-shaped spots.
Voice
Most often heard is a high-pitched, rapid, single-syllable whistle during conflicts with its own species, rendered “kyack”, “kluh”, “tyuck” or “dyip”.
Similar species
Steppe Eagle is larger and bulkier; Greater Spotted Eagle has a shorter neck, smaller bill, shorter gape line and narrower, less loose leg feathering.
Pale-morph Greater Spotted Eagle may resemble juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle; Eastern Imperial Eagle is larger, with longer, narrower wings, a longer neck and a larger bill.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November–February · Most records: India, United Arab Emirates, Israel
Greater Spotted Eagle has been recorded at 657 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 74 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga), also called the spotted eagle, is a large migratory bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Greater Spotted Eagle?
The Greater Spotted Eagle is about 59–74 cm long, with a wingspan of 170 cm and weighs around 2.2 kg.
Where does the Greater Spotted Eagle live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: central Europe to eastern Siberia and northern China. It is most often recorded in India, United Arab Emirates and Israel.
When is the best time to see the Greater Spotted Eagle?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, November and December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Greater Spotted Eagle endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Greater Spotted Eagle as Vulnerable.
What does the Greater Spotted Eagle eat?
Main food: Vertebrate prey.
What family is the Greater Spotted Eagle in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 59–74 cm
- Wingspan
- 170 cm
- Weight
- 2.2 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Vertebrate prey
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Vulnerable
More measurements
- Wing
- 511 mm
- Tail
- 261 mm
- Bill
- 50 mm
- Tarsus
- 97 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: central Europe to eastern Siberia and northern China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Clanga
Other birds in the genus Clanga
Indian Spotted EagleClanga hastata
Lesser Spotted EagleClanga pomarina
Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
Scissor-tailed KiteChelictinia riocourii
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
Black-winged KiteElanus caeruleus
Black-shouldered KiteElanus axillaris
Letter-winged KiteElanus scriptus
African Harrier-HawkPolyboroides typus
Madagascar Harrier-HawkPolyboroides radiatus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Koshy Koshy. ↗
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