Adult in flight; white wing spots are lost while mature; only white V on rump remains
This is a medium-sized eagle, about 60 cm (24 in) in length and with a wingspan of 150 cm (59 in).[2] Its head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. The head and bill are small for an eagle.[3] 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 thegreater spotted eagle.
The juvenile has less contrast in the wings, but theremiges bear prominent white spots. It differs from greater spotted eagle juveniles by a lack ofwing covert spotting and the presence of a cream-colored neck patch.
The birds formerly considered to be the residentIndiansubspecies are now considered a separatespecies, theIndian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata), quite distinct and readily separable bymorphological,behavioral,ecological, andDNA sequence data. The Europeantaxon is actually closer to the greater spotted eagle; their common ancestor seems to have diverged around the middlePliocene, perhaps some 3.6 million years ago,[4] from the ancestors of the Indian birds. The "proto-spotted eagle" probably lived in the general region ofAfghanistan, being split into a northern and a southern lineage when bothglaciers anddeserts advanced in Central Asia as thelast ice age began. The northern lineage subsequently separated into the eastern (greater) and western (lesser) species of today, probably around the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary not quite 2 million years ago.[5][6][7]
The present specieshybridizes occasionally with the greater spotted eagle. Hybrid birds are almost impossible to identify if not seen up close.[8]
The lesser spotted eagle uses regularly spaced territories consistently between years in the north-western part of its distribution. The distances between territories vary across the region, although this was not found to be related to breeding success. Synchronous variation in breeding success across the region indicates that the eagles are instead influenced by large-scale factors such as fluctuations in climate or prey availability.[13]The lesser spotted eagle lays one to three white, buff-spottedeggs in a tree nest. As usual for eagles, only in breeding seasons with very abundant prey does more than one youngfledge, but the female startsincubating when the first egg has been laid, thus the first young to hatch usually outgrows its clutch mate(s) and will kill and even eat them sooner or later.[citation needed]
^Parry, S.J.; Clark, W.S.; Prakash, V. (2002). "On the taxonomic status of the Indian Spotted EagleAquila hastata".Ibis.144 (4):665–675.doi:10.1046/j.1474-919X.2002.00109.x.
Svensson, Lars (1–8 November 1986).Underwing pattern of Steppe, Spotted and Lesser Spotted Eagles. International Bird Identification: Proceedings of the 4th International Identification Meeting. Eilat: International Birdwatching Centre Eilat. pp. 12–14.
