The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Eurasia. A massive raptor with a rather long, heavy bill; broad, plank-like wings; and relatively short, graduated tail. Looks like a flying barn door and soars with wings rather level (not slightly raised like Golden Eagle). Its plumage is dark overall and the adult has a paler brown head and body, white tail, yellowish bill. The immature starts with a mostly brown tail streaked white, blackish bill; and attains its fully white tail in about 4 years. Generally uncommon, mainly found along seacoasts and larger rivers (feeds predominantly on fish).

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A medium-sized eagle with massive rounded wings. It appears very small-headed in flight. Their name is misleading, as there are only really two color morphs, pale and black. The pale-morph adult is dark brown above with a white breast overlaid with dark streaks. While the dark morph is dark all over with paler outer wing feathers, and can be mistaken for dark Honey-Buzzards. They inhabit forests, forest edges, and expansive parks and plantations.

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The White-bellied Sea Eagle is an enormous gray and white raptor that soars with wings held in strong V-shape. In flight the black and white underwing pattern & short tail are clearly visible. The juvenile is much browner and can be confused with the Wedge-tailed Eagle apart from the mostly pale and fairly short tail. They are predominantly found along coastlines, as well as estuaries and inland waterways.

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The final chapter of the eagles of Kumbhargaon is about the rare Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca), which is quite a large eagle. With its two metre wingspan, the flight of the Eastern imperial eagle is a striking sight.

After decades of persecution by humans, the Eastern imperial eagle is now one of Europe’s rarest raptors with a small and declining global population, loss of habitat and prey. It has therefore been IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable since 1994.

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Continuing my series on the eagles of Kumbhargaon, this second post is about the Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga), seen in the shallow wetlands area around Bhigwan and the River Bhima. This area is vast and unique with diverse habitats ranging from the shallow wetland ecosystem of the Ujni backwaters to the surrounding rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. 

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Kumbhargaon is a nondescript village in the Satara district to the south of Bhigwan, a quaint, small and rugged town on the border of the Pune and Solapur districts in Maharashtra, in India. But during its mild winters, Kumbhargaon, Bhigwan and its surrounding areas become the home of countless migratory birds making it the “Bharatpur of Maharashtra”. The area around Bhigwan and the River Bhima is vast and unique with diverse habitats ranging from the shallow wetland ecosystem of the Ujni backwaters to the surrounding rich farmlands and dry deciduous scrub forest with interspersed grasslands. 

This blog on the Steppe Eagle is the first of a three eagle series from Kumbhargaon.

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The Steller’s Sea Eagle is one of the most remarkable birds I have seen. Though familiar in summer to native peoples of the Russian Far East, of the Aleutian Islands and even south-west Alaska, & in winter to those in northern Japan, it was unknown to western ornithologists until the late 18th century.

Standing a metre tall, with a wingspan approaching 3m & weighing as much as 9 kg, it is arguably among the largest eagles in the world (and certainly one of the biggest three or four).

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