- Life expectancy
Identification
A powerful, plain brown eagle with long wings and deeply fingered primaries. The yellow gape extends behind the eye, a reliable feature. Juveniles show a broad white band on the underwings.
Colours
Adult
Uniformly dark brown plumage, sometimes with a rusty nape patch. The long yellow gape extends behind the eye; the underwings show finely barred flight feathers with a dark trailing edge.
Behaviour
Outside the breeding season it is a long-distance migrant, gathering in thousands at migration bottlenecks such as Eilat or Batumi. In the wintering grounds many birds congregate at termite swarms and carcasses.
Breeding & rearing
The flat nest is often right on the ground, on low bushes, rocks or pylons. The clutch is incubated for around six weeks; the young fledge after about two months.
