Appearance:

Medium sized eagle with long wings and tail. Pale base of outermost primaries in all plumages (lacking in Booted Eagle). Adults easily identified by dark greater coverts forming mid wing band on underwing, in combination with pale body and pale lesser coverts (variable). Tail clear cut (but not as pointed corners as in Booted Eagle) with broad terminal band. Back with diagnostic white patch (variable). Immature told from dark and medium morph of Booted Eagle by pale base of outer primaries, narrowly and evenly barred tail (bands reaching outer edge). The species show less fingered wings than many congeners, and long tail combined with small head may recall Honey Buzzard. Characteristic gliding profile with projected carpal joints and straight trailing edge of wing. Slight S-shape to trailing edge of wing when soaring. Flight agile and falcon-like.

Sound:

Not very vocal, but may call at breeding ground. Commonest call a sharp, gull-like "kleeee", beginning with marked register-break followed by drawn-out note with fairly stable pitch, unlike most congeners.

Call:

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

CC

CC-photo:Jorrit Vlot, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Paul Cools, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:ruwan aluvihare, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Ronald Bontrop, Licence,Link.

CC-photo:Diego Jerez Abad, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Slate grey upperparts with barred white underparts. Female and juvenile sometimes rufous brown. Male with defined grey breast in contrast to barred white belly, female with diffusely barred chest and throat. Yellow iris and thin bill. Wings and tail long and slender, often giving the impression of a small falcon. Often perches with a more horizontal posture than hawks or falcons, i.e. tail pointing backwards and not towards the ground, and drooping wings. In flight wings are not raise above horizontal plane, and it seldom glides like raptors.

Sound:

Song: the well known disyllabic "cuck-coo" with emphasis on first note, and the second note a third lower than the first one. Also a harsh "tchaa tchaa", and a bubbly trill, reminiscent of Little Grebe, uttered by the female.

Male:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC