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:

Small martin with dark brown chest-band and white throat. Upperparts dark brown, underparts white. Underside of wings dark. Juveniles with light fringes to brown feathers, and buff throat. Flight more elegant than Barn Swallow and House Martin. Often changes direction but keeps altitude. More fluttering flight than House Martin, with less gliding.

Sound:

Contact call a mono- or disyllabic "trrrrt". Similar to House Martin but more raucous and less crisp, with less rolling r's, and with stable pitch throughout. Song a primitive improvisation on the contact call. Alarm call similar to House Martin; a sharp plaintive "tseep", but somewhat purer and more drawn.

Contact call:

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