• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Eagle for ID (1 Viewer)

Sumit

Well-known member
Hi,
Attached was shot by my friend Sujan Chatterjee at Kaziranga National park, North-east India a few days back. Could be a Greater Spotted Eagle, but we are not sure.
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Sumit
 

Attachments

  • Eagle_5_copy.jpg
    Eagle_5_copy.jpg
    44.7 KB · Views: 438
That's a fab photo and it should be easy. It looks like an Aquila, the tail looks very short and Spotted-like. Can't for the life of me recall what else to look for or what there shuld be there. Once I have provided food for the family... I'll take a harder look, assuming someone with more experience doesn't get in there first.

You can do a full wing foruma on this one!
 
Sure looks like the one-and-only Greater Spotted Eagle I've ever seen (in Bulgaria). But I don't know what options there are for confusion species in India - Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Indian (hastata) Lesser Spotted Eagle, etc.

Michael
 
Hi Sumit,

I was meaning that I've never seen any of the others I listed so wouldn't know how to tell them apart very well :-C

Also Indian Black Eagle? (not an Aquila, but very similar?)

Michael
 
Hi Michael,
The Black Eagle is easy to ID in the field being a much sleeker bird.
This one looks good for a Spotted but there were Eastern Imperials in the area. A long-shot could be a juvie White-tailed Eagle (which is possible in the area) but we are not familiar with it.
sumit
 
Hi all,
Juv.White-tailed would also have a paler tail than this bird,though not pure white.
Wouldn't like to say which,but I think it has to be one of the "spotted eagles".Can't really recall the features used to seperate them(neither features in my thoughts that much),and also the race(species?) of Lesser Spotted in India is different from the form that I saw in Bulgaria....
Harry H
 
It looks too short/broad winged for Goldie, Imperial and Steppe.

So pretty sure its Lesser spotted or Spotted. Now for the fun bit. I'd guess Greater on build, it looks chunky and there is a fair curve on the trainling edge..and it has that mini- White-tialed eagle look to it...BUT. according to the Macmillan guide. Adult Spotted should show the 7th primary as digitated and clearly longer than the 8th... on LS it is about the same length as the 8th, therefore in line with the rear edge of the wing not part of the wing tip...

I took this bird to be an adult....which would make it Lesser Spotted on that one feature.
 
Hi Harry,
Think gape, thickness of legs and overall bulk would be used to seperate the two from this angle unless one is familiar with the flight jizz differences.
Cheers!
sumit
 
Here is another, very similar shot of the same bird now that we are focused on Spotted.
Sumit
 

Attachments

  • Eagle_4_copy.jpg
    Eagle_4_copy.jpg
    24.6 KB · Views: 321
Indian Spotted Eagle (aka hastata Lesser Spotted) is a very likely split but information on its field characters is very sparse. it certainly cannot be assumed that the features that hold good for separating GSE and LSE in Europe will apply.

That said, Sumits bird looks very like a GSE to me.

Sheryl
 
Looking for online pics of G&L spotted eagles showing the 7th primary. I'll keep editing links in as I find them. As for Indian Spotted Eagle... I'll see if I can find pics!

This is a GS showing the 7th P as significantly longer than the 8th (unlike the mystery). http://www.xrisupoli.gr/Greek/images/Aquila-clanga--02.jpg

This GSE isn't adult and has its primaries swept back....even so the 7th looks alonger than the mystery http://bornova.ege.edu.tr/~ekgt/bird_files/raptor/photos/eagles/buyukormankartali.jpg

An Asian adult GSE.... with a whopping 7th primary http://www.avesphoto.com/website/pictures/EAGGSP-1.jpg

And another http://web.tiscali.it/ebnitalia2/QB003/pic003/macca5_th.jpg
So despite this looking very like a GSE... perhaps it isn't!

Now for some Lessers

http://www.kanu.hu/bilder_voegel_2/aquila_pomarina.jpg - similar to the mystery.

http://www.vironlintuseura.fi/valokuvat/aqupom2.jpg ditto
http://www.vironlintuseura.fi/valokuvat/aqupom3.jpg ditto


So, despite this looking superficially like a GS... I think there is enough to say its probably not. Need to go through that paper Harry flagged!
 
Last edited:
Bingo.. Indian spotted eagle

http://www.delhibird.org/images/IndianSpottedEagle_1.jpg
http://www.delhibird.org/images/IndianSpottedEagle_5.jpg

http://www.bsaponline.org/litrev.html

Reputed to be slightly longer winged than LS and wider-gaped (= heavier headed?) That might be enough to make it look like GS?. This photo also looks very short-tailed like GS.


Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata
As mentioned above the current field guides are misleading in terms of identification of Indian Spotted Eagle. Very little useful information has been documented, and even less is of use for field identification. All claims of Indian Spotted Eagle should be reported and documented carefully, preferably with photographs.

Indian Spotted is very similar to Greater Spotted but slightly slimmer in proportions. Importantly the gape is thicker and more fleshy; contrary to some of the literature it extends to the middle of the eye as in Greater Spotted. The nostril is also round. The legs appear longer and thinner due to the less thickly feathered tarsii. In adults the brown of the plumage is paler, thus there is a more obvious contrast between paler wing-coverts than flight feathers, both above and below. The primary patch above is more obvious and the carpal crescents below may show as a double white patch, i.e. whitish base to primaries and whitish base to greater coverts (although this is probably not as obvious as on Lesser Spotted Eagle, and may not be a useful feature). The uppertail crescent is probably more obvious than that of Greater Spotted. Note that the bright nape patch that is often quoted as an identification feature is probably a feature of Lesser Spotted that does not occur on Indian Spotted.
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 20 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top