Booted Eagle

The booted eagle is a small eagle about 40cm long with a wingspan of 110–132cm; males weigh about 510–770g and females 840–1,025g. It comes in two distinct forms: pale birds are mainly light below with a darker head and flight feathers, while dark birds are mid-brown with dark grey flight feathers. The two morphs are inherited simply, with the pale form dominant, and the dark form is more common in eastern populations. It is usually seen alone or in pairs, and its call is a shrill kli-kli-kli (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in wooded, often hilly country with some open ground across southern Europe, North Africa and Asia, with a small separate population in south-western Africa. Northern birds migrate, spending November to February in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where they use almost any habitat except dense forest. It often flies fairly low, which makes it conspicuous. Its species name means feathered, for its booted legs (Wikipedia, general species account).