Greater Spotted Eagles:
A recent report revealed that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has forced greater spotted eagles, a large raptor species, to change their migratory paths.
- It is a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, commonly known as “booted eagles”.
- It was once classified as a member of the genus Aquila, but has been reclassified to the distinct genus Clanga, along with the two other species of spotted eagle.
- During breeding season, greater spotted eagles are widely distributed across Eastern Europe, parts of Central Europe, central Russia, central Asia and parts of China, along with other isolated areas.
- During winter, they migrate, primarily to South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the upper Mediterranean Basin, and parts of East Africa.
- Greater spotted eagles favor wetter habitats than most other booted eagles, preferring riparian zones as well as bogs, lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water surrounded by woodland
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable
- Mostly vanished from western and central Europe, with a limited breeding population in Polesia, Belarus.
- India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I (Other eagle species)