Steppe Eagle

Fascinating facts about the Steppe Eagle

• In 1833 British naturalist Brian Houghton Hodgson first described the steppe eagle, giving it the Latin name Aquila nipalensis, ‘eagle from Nepal’, even though the type bird was likely spotted on migration far from that country.
• Unusually for an eagle, steppe eagles build their nests on the ground, often on a slight rise or even flat open steppe, and usually lay between one and three eggs, with successful nests raising one to two fledglings.
• Their wings stretch about 2.6 times the length of their bodies, making the steppe eagle’s silhouette look disproportionately broad and heavy when it soars over the open plains.
• Scientists estimate the species’ global numbers have dropped by more than 50 % in recent decades, a decline driven by steppe fires, livestock trampling, human persecution, and especially electrocution on power lines in Kazakhstan.
• The steppe eagle appears on the flag of Kazakhstan and is the national bird of both Kazakhstan and Egypt.

At a glance

About the Steppe Eagle

The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large, bulky raptor of the booted-eagle subfamily, its legs cloaked in dense feathers that give it a distinctly “booted” silhouette. Dark brown overall, adults display a strikingly long, deep-set gape-line that reaches the rear of the eye, framed by a dark border against a pale chin, and in the eastern part of the range a bold rufous-orange patch crowns the nape. Juveniles are paler, with white-tipped black greater coverts and a conspicuous cream band across the brown medians, gradually fading as the bird ages into the five-year adult plumage. In flight the steppe eagle is unmistakable: broad, square-ended wings held almost parallel, a rounded or wedge-shaped tail about three-quarters the wing-base length, and a wingspan roughly 2.6 times its body length, giving it a heavy, imposing presence over the open steppe. On the treeless steppes these eagles nest on slight rises or outcrops, uniquely building ground-based nests that may sit on flat, open ground. They specialize in hunting ground squirrels on the breeding grounds, supplementing with other small mammals when squirrels are scarce. After fledging, they embark on a massive migration that sweeps past the Middle East, Red Sea and Himalayas, only to adopt a surprisingly passive winter diet of insect swarms, carrion, landfill refuse and semi-altricial young of assorted species. This shift from bold predator to opportunistic scavenger, coupled with their ground-nesting habit, makes the steppe eagle a paradoxical blend of fierce hunting prowess and unassuming winter foraging, a duality that continues to fascinate observers

Steppe Eagle photographed on Feravox

More wildlife to discover

Browse Feravox