Greater Spotted Eagle

Aquila clanga

Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Presence in the Strait: Occasional
IUCN (global): VU · Vulnerable
In Spanish: Águila moteada

Photograph: Koshy Koshy, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 62–74 cm
Wingspan: 158–182 cm
Weight: 1,800–2,400 g

Presence in the Strait

Occasional. Observations of single birds in March and between August and October. This species may be more regular than it appears since during high observer periods as with Bernis (1976–1977) and MIGRES (1997–2001) some birds are always recorded.

Identification

Similar to a Golden Eagle but smaller and more compact. In flight, wings are broad with the Accipitridae juv. ad. Azor Común Gavilán Común Águila Moteada trailing edge forming an “S” shape (not straight), small white carpal patches and seven extended primaries. From a distance birds appear totally dark. Juveniles are dark brown with heavy white spotting on upperwing-coverts; trailing edge of wing and rump also white. They breed in Eastern Europe and the Far East.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

36 %

Peak in February. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 24 January 2009
Latest record: 20 November 2022

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Not included
Spanish Catalogue: Not included
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: Outside the Red List (not assessed)
Global Red List (IUCN): VU · Vulnerable

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Bonelli´s Eagle70–74 cm · Resident · overlapping size
Tawny Eagle65–75 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Lesser Spotted Eagle65–77 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Spanish Imperial Eagle75–84 cm · Resident
Booted Eagle45–50 cm · Seasonal

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
GBIF taxon key: 7477624

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Koshy Koshy, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Greater Spotted Eagle

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery