Bird Guide

Booted Eagle vs Little Eagle

Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)

Booted Eagle

Hieraaetus pennatus

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The booted eagle is a small eagle with a length of 40 cm (16 in) and a wingspan of 110–132 cm (43–52 in); males weigh about 510–770 g (18–27 oz) and females about 840–1,025 g (29.6–36.2 oz). There are two relatively distinct plumage forms; pale individuals are mainly light grey with a darker head and flight feathers. The other form has mid-brown plumage with dark grey flight feathers. These discrete colour morphs follow a Mendelian inheritance pattern, where the paler allele is dominant.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Booted Eagle
Recorded by Thomas SIGNEAU · Alarm call, flight call · Arrondissement de Vierzon (near Saint-Georges-sur-la-Prée), Cher, Centre-Val de Loire, France · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0
Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides)

Little Eagle

Hieraaetus morphnoides

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The little eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey, measuring 45–55 cm (17–21.5 inches) in length and weighing 815 g (1.8 lb), roughly the size of a peregrine falcon. It has fully feathered legs and a square-cut, barred tail. Wingspan is about 120 cm with males having longer wings in proportion to their bodies, but being nearly half the weight of females. It is a powerful bird and during flight has strong wing beats, glides on flat wings and soars on slightly raised or flat wings. The little eagle occurs in light and dark colour forms and generally these colours change with age.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom · CC BY 2.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Booted Eagle and Little Eagle.