Indian spotted eagle

Indian Spotted Eagle
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Order	Accipitriformes
Sub-order	Accipitres
Family Information
Superfamily	Accipitroidea
Family	Accipitridae
Sub-family	Aquilinae
Genus Information
Genus	Clanga
Species Information
Species	C. hastata
Synonyms	Aquila hastata
Population statistics
Population	3,500-15,000 (2016 est.)
Conservation status	Vulnerable

The Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata) is a species of bird of prey of the family Accipitridae, and found throughout much of India.

Description

The Indian spotted eagle is medium-sized, about 23–28 inches in length, a wingspan of 61.8 to 70.5 inches, and weigh 3.5 to 5.5 pounds. Females are larger than males. Adult birds are dark brown in color overall, but with a somewhat lighter shade of brown than in their two spotted eagle relatives; unlike the others, the Indian spotted eagle bears very dark brown eyes and a wider mouth.

Range and habitat

The Indian spotted eagle is found over much of India, from the Himalaya mountain range south to the Indian Ocean, and from the northern Indian-Pakistani border eastwards to Burma. Sightings within Pakistan itself are suspect, as the sightings may either be vagrants or of the greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga) during its winter migration. Sightings have also been reported as far east as Cambodia.

It is a bird of the lowlands, preferring semi-tropical or tropical forests with access to forest edges and clearings, open fields, and low-intensity cultivated land, from sea level to 3,200 feet elevation.

Taxonomy

Until quite recently the spotted eagles of the genus Clanga were included with the true eagles of the genus Aquila, with the Indian spotted eagle classified as a subspecies of the lesser spotted eagle, and bearing the scientific name of Aquila pomarina hastata. Morphological, anatomical and breeding biological characteristics from studies in 2002, as well as behavioral characteristics caused the Indian spotted eagle to be classified as a distinct species, Aquila hastata. These studies also included the determination of a so-called "sister relationship" occurring between the lesser spotted eagle and the greater spotted eagle (Aquila clanga), which, as of 2005 made them distinctive genetically from other species of genus Aquila. Further studies among diurnal raptors led to a revision of Aquila, resulting in the split of the spotted eagles away from Aquila and into their own separate genus, Clanga, a name taken from the ancient Greek word κλαγγή, ("clang" or "scream"), and refers to the piercing cries the birds make.