Clanga pomarina

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Accipitriformes

Familia: Accipitridae
Subfamilia: Aquilinae
Genus: Clanga
Species: Clanga pomarina
Name

Clanga pomarina (C. L. Brehm, 1831)
Synonyms

Aquila pomarina (protonym)

References

Handbuch der Naturgeschichte aller Vogel Deutschlands...: 27.

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Gevlekte arend
العربية: العقاب الأسفع الصغير
azərbaycanca: Kiçik qartal
беларуская (тарашкевіца): Малы падворлік
беларуская: Малы арлец
български: Малък креслив орел
brezhoneg: Erer pomarin
català: Àguila pomerània
čeština: Orel křiklavý
dansk: Lille Skrigeørn
Deutsch: Schreiadler
Ελληνικά: Φλυαρογεράκα
English: Lesser Spotted Eagle
Esperanto: Malgranda kriaglo
español: Águila pomerana
eesti: Väike-konnakotkas
euskara: Pomeraniar arrano
suomi: Pikkukiljukotka
français: Aigle pomarin
galego: Aguia pomerana
עברית: עיט חורש
hrvatski: Orao Kliktaš
magyar: Békászó sas
հայերեն: Արծիվ փոքր
íslenska: Gnýörn
italiano: Aquila anatraia minore
日本語: アシナガワシ
ქართული: პატარა მყივანი არწივი
қазақша: Кіші қыран
lietuvių: Mažasis erelis rėksnys
latviešu: Mazais ērglis
македонски: Мал креслав орел
Malti: Ajkla tat-Tikki
Nederlands: Schreeuwarend
norsk: Småskrikørn
polski: Orlik krzykliwy
پنجابی: نکا تبیاں آلا عقاب
português: Águia-pomarina
rumantsch: Evla-stgella pitschna
română: Acvilă ţipătoare mică
русский: Малый подорлик
slovenčina: Orol krikľavý
slovenščina: Mali klinkač
shqip: Shqiponja e vogël e rosave
српски / srpski: Orao kliktaš / Орао кликташ
svenska: Mindre skrikörn
Kiswahili: Tai Madoa
Türkçe: Küçük orman kartalı
українська: Підорлик малий
中文: 小乌雕

The lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina) is a large Eastern European bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The typical eagles are often united with the buteos, sea eagles, and other more heavy-set Accipitridae, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks than believed.

Description
A drawing of a lesser spotted eagle

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This is a medium-sized eagle, about 60 cm (24 in) in length and with a wingspan of 150 cm (59 in). Its head and wing coverts are pale brown and contrast with the generally dark plumage. The head and bill are small for an eagle. Usually, a white patch occurs on the upper wings, and even adults retain a clearly marked white "V" on the rump; the wing markings are absent and the white "V" is not well-defined in the greater spotted eagle.

The juvenile has less contrast in the wings, but the remiges bear prominent white spots. It differs from greater spotted eagle juveniles by a lack of wing covert spotting and the presence of a cream-colored neck patch.

The call is a dog-like yip.
Taxonomy and evolution

The birds formerly considered to be the resident Indian subspecies are now considered a separate species, the Indian spotted eagle (Clanga hastata), quite distinct and readily separable by morphological, behavioral, ecological, and DNA sequence data. The European taxon is actually closer to the greater spotted eagle; their common ancestor seems to have diverged around the middle Pliocene, perhaps some 3.6 million years ago,[2] from the ancestors of the Indian birds. The "proto-spotted eagle" probably lived in the general region of Afghanistan, being split into a northern and a southern lineage when both glaciers and deserts advanced in Central Asia as the last ice age began. The northern lineage subsequently separated into the eastern (greater) and western (lesser) species of today, probably around the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary not quite 2 million years ago.[3][4][5]
A two-egg clutch in nest

The present species hybridizes occasionally with the greater spotted eagle. Hybrid birds are almost impossible to identify if not seen up close.[6]
Distribution and habitat
Egg in the collection of Museum Wiesbaden

The lesser spotted eagle breeds in Central and Eastern Europe and southeastward to Turkey and Armenia;[7] and winters in Africa. This is a very wary species of open or lightly wooded country, in which it hunts small mammals and similar terrestrial prey.[citation needed]
Behaviour and ecology

The lesser spotted eagle uses regularly spaced territories consistently between years in the north-western part of its distribution. The distances between territories vary across the region, although this was not found to be related to breeding success. Synchronous variation in breeding success across the region indicates that the eagles are instead influenced by large-scale factors such as fluctuations in climate or prey availability.[8] The lesser spotted eagle lays one to three white, buff-spotted eggs in a tree nest. As usual for eagles, only in breeding seasons with very abundant prey does more than one young fledge, but the female starts incubating when the first egg has been laid, thus the first young to hatch usually outgrows its clutch mate(s) and will kill and even eat them sooner or later.[citation needed]
References

BirdLife International (2021). "Clanga pomarina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696022A203665834. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696022A203665834.en. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
The estimate in Väli 2006 is certainly incorrect; it uses a molecular clock that is appropriate for small passerines with half the generation times of eagles.
Parry, S.J.; Clark, W.S.; Prakash, V. (2002). "On the taxonomic status of the Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata". Ibis. 144 (4): 665–675. doi:10.1046/j.1474-919X.2002.00109.x.
Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Anderton, John C. (2005). Birds of South Asia - The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-87334-67-2.
Väli, Ülo (2006). "Mitochondrial DNA sequences support species status for the Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 126 (3): 238–242.
Väli, Ülo; Lõhmus, Asko (2004). "Nestling characteristics and identification of the lesser spotted eagle Aquila pomarina, greater spotted eagle A. clanga, and their hybrids". Journal of Ornithology. 145 (3): 256–263. doi:10.1007/s10336-004-0028-7. S2CID 20893726.
"Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina in Armenia". Armenian Bird Census, TSE NGO].

Treinys, R.; Bergmanis, U.; Väli, Ü. (2017). "Strong territoriality and weak density-dependent reproduction in Lesser Spotted Eagles Clanga pomarina". Ibis. 159 (2): 343–351. doi:10.1111/ibi.12454.

Further reading
Svensson, Lars (1–8 November 1986). Underwing pattern of Steppe, Spotted and Lesser Spotted Eagles. International Bird Identification: Proceedings of the 4th International Identification Meeting. Eilat: International Birdwatching Centre Eilat. pp. 12–14.

List of Cyprus birds