Indian Spotted Eagle

The Indian spotted eagle is a large bird of prey of the Indian subcontinent, about 60 cm long with a wingspan of about 150 cm. It is broad-headed, with the widest mouth of all the spotted eagles, and lighter overall than its relatives, with a darker iris that makes the eye look darker than the plumage, the opposite of the two northern spotted eagles. The median coverts have large creamy spots. Young birds are glossy brown after three or four months, with creamy tips to the head and neck feathers giving a spotted look (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal and, marginally, Pakistan. Its wing pattern can be compared with that of the juvenile eastern imperial eagle, but it is considerably smaller. The cached account is short and gives no diet or breeding information. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident and within-India migrant of open habitat with a Large range and an inconclusive long-term trend of about −24% (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).