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PLATE 24: EAGLES III
Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxii rb
L: 80–95. W: 225–245. Unique wing shape with very narrow base and distinct ‘S’-curved
trailing edge separates it from all other eagles. Adult black with conspicuous white primary
patches above and below, pure white lower back and white ‘V’ on shoulders. Juvenile has pale
primary patches, creamy panel on upperwing-coverts, blackish-brown throat and breast, which
contrast with buffish-white rear-body and yellowish-buff crown/hindneck. Soars gracefully on
raised wings for long periods; when gliding on half-closed wings, narrow wing-base ‘disappears’.
Often hunts in tandem. Voice Male has loud chorr-chorr-chorr, female thinner che-che-che; also
tremulous, ascending whace-whace-whace. Habitat Wild mountains; nests on cliff, rarely in tree.
Note Formerly bred Israel; vagrant Lebanon. In Oman, rare and localised in Dhofar mountains.Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus PM, WV, rb
L: 64–73. W: 165–180. Large, long-winged eagle with broad head, very pale underparts
and square-cut tail with evenly spaced dark bands. Whitish underparts variably spotted and
barred; some are nearly all whitish, others with contrasting dark head and upper breast; lacks
dark carpal patches. Flies with slow, flexible wingbeats, soars on flat or slightly lifted wings and
hovers regularly. Separated from Osprey by broader wings, lack of dark carpal patch and different
flight action. Pale morph Steppe Buzzard and European Honey Buzzard usually have dark carpals,
blacker wing-tips, different spacing of tail-bands and are much smaller with quicker wingbeats.
Voice Whistling, disyllabic kee-yo with long ascending start and short descending finish.
Habitat Open wooded plains, stony foothills, semi-deserts; nests in a tree or on a cliff. Note Arabian
breeders may be resident; passage hatched, a few winter in Arabia. [Alt: Short-toed Eagle]Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata PM, WV, rb
L: 60–70. W: 150–165. In flight recalls large, thickset Honey Buzzard. Adult identified by dark
underwings contrasting with whitish underbody, pale tail with black band at tip and white patch
on mantle; at close range white leading edge of wing. Pale rusty-buff juvenile lacks black tail-
band, and flight feathers are pale with fine dark barring; paler translucent primaries contrast with
blackish wing-tip; when present, narrow dark bar on rear underwing-coverts diagnostic, but in
others confined to dark ‘comma’ on primary coverts; upperwing cinnamon-brown with large, pale
primary patch. Soars on flat or slightly arched wings, often with long, almost square-cut tail held
closed (may be twisted independently); glides with carpals pressed forward, trailing edge of wings
straight (recalling European Honey Buzzard). Often hunts in pairs; stoops at great speed. Habitat
Rocky mountains, forested foothills; in winter plains and semi-deserts. Note Winter dispersal
hatched.Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus PM, WV
L: 43–53. W: 110–130. Two distinct colour morphs. Size of Steppe Buzzard, but outline and wing
position close to Black Kite; tail square-cut. More ample, deeply fingered wings than Steppe Buzzard.
Pale morph has creamy-white underparts with contrasting blackish flight feathers, kite-like panel
on upperwing, pale scapulars (seen head-on as ‘landing lights’) and uppertail-coverts, and
diagnostic white spots at base of neck. Lacks dark carpal patch of most pale Steppe Buzzards
and European Honey Buzzards; also has darker base to flight feathers and paler inner primaries.
Dark morph similar above to pale morph but underparts dark brown, or rufous with black band
through centre of underwing. When perched, feathered tarsi also separates Booted Eagle from
these and Long-legged Buzzards. Has deeper, more powerful wingbeats and steadier glides than
Steppe Buzzard; soars on flat wings; does not hover. Habitat Deciduous and pine forest; more open
country outside breeding season. Note Passage hatched; a few winter in Near East and Arabia.