Greater Spotted Eagle

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.