Bonelli's Eagle

Bonelli's eagle is a fairly large bird of prey and a medium-sized eagle, 55–74 cm long, with a medium-sized head on a fairly long neck, a strong bill, a mid-to-longish tail and exceptionally long, well-feathered legs. The adult's head is dark brown with a paler, often streaky neck and a white throat. When perched, the wing tips fall a little short of the tail tip. The tail of young birds is more clearly barred than the adults' (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is usually a resident breeder, from southern Europe and the montane edge of the Sahara across the Indian subcontinent to Indonesia; in the Indian subcontinent it is generally uncommon, though locally common near Nepal. It often occurs in hilly or mountainous country with rocky walls or crags, from sea level to 1,500 m. When staple prey declines or is scarce it switches to being an opportunistic predator of a wide variety of birds. SoIB 2023 rates it a Low conservation priority, a resident of non-specialised habitat with a Large range and a stable long-term trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).