Greater Spotted Eagle vs Lesser Spotted Eagle

Greater Spotted Eagle

Clanga clanga

Huge2.2 kgWetland

The greater spotted eagle is rather large and compact. Normally, it is black-brown with a contrasting yellow beak. This species has a short neck with a large and often shaggy-naped head, a strong beak, and a short gape-line with round nostrils. The wings are broad and long, reaching the tail tip. The tail is relatively short and rounded. The overall effect of the broad wings and short tail can give them an almost vulture-like silhouette. The feet are large, and the feathers covering the legs are less compactly arranged than on lesser spotted eagles. Voice: The greater spotted eagle is quite noisy when breeding and is often very vocal in winter, especially when in small loose flocks. The most common call, often heard during intraspecies conflicts, is a soft, one-syllable, penetrating, high-pitched, urgent whistle, variously transcribed as kyack, kluh, tyuck, or dyip.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Koshy Koshy, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Clanga pomarina

Large1.4 kgForest

This is a medium-sized eagle, about 60 cm (24 in) in length and with a wingspan of 150 cm (59 in). Its head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. The head and bill are small for an eagle. Usually, a white patch occurs on the upper wings, and even adults retain a clearly marked white "V" on the rump; the wing markings are absent and the white "V" is not well-defined in the greater spotted eagle. The juvenile has less contrast in the wings, but the remiges bear prominent white spots.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) i_c_riddell, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by i_c_riddell · cc-by

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Spotted Eagle and Lesser Spotted Eagle.