Tawny Eagle

The tawny eagle is a large bird of prey, 58–75 cm long, typically about 65 cm, with a fairly long neck, a long deep bill with a gape line level with the eye, moderately long wings with pronounced fingers and a slightly rounded to almost square-ended, shortish tail more like a vulture's. The cere and feet are yellow at all ages. The most blackish-brown individuals tend to occur in India, and young birds moult into brown, becoming patchy (Wikipedia, general species account).

It has an extensive but discontinuous breeding range that takes in much of Africa and the Indian subcontinent. It is a resident breeder that lays one to three eggs in a stick nest, most commonly in the crown of a tree, and can reach about 16 years. It is perhaps the most highly opportunistic of the booted eagles, often scavenging on carrion or robbing other carnivores, but is also a bold and active predator. Precipitous declines have been detected through its range. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, with a rapid long-term decline of about 73% and a current decline of nearly 6% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).