A majestic and powerful eagle and maybe the largest raptor found in the country. A full grown adult eagle is around 80-90 cms tall with a wingspan of around ~6-8 feet. These weigh around 3-4.5 kgs - roughly 50-60% heavier than a Greater Spotted Eagle which is the common large raptor we see in our state..
During the Desert national Park trip last week, we sighted many of them all over the national park - they were just sitting on the ground alone and a few times in a group. On this day, we sighted 3 of them together with 2 Griffon vultures behind them - it was an awesome sight for me. All of these were impressive sized raptors - majestic, fearless and with a muscular / bouncer kind of look.
The birds probably had roosted the whole night in the open ground. They are hunters, but mostly scavengers and sometimes claim kill from other birds like the Falcons, harriers etc.. They also hunt reptiles, mammals like Fox, the young ones of Deer/ Antelopes, Ducks and Geese all of which are found in the desert. They have few natural enemies, but I suspect Wolves could take these birds down - and that area has no wolves, but a whole lot of foxes - both desert and indian fox.
These are national birds of Kazakhstan and are migratory to India during winters. They are very rare in my state, but common in the place I visited.
Thanks in advance for your wonderful feedback and likes.
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