EAGLES(CONTI.....)

4.BLACK EAGLE SIZE; length 70-80 centimeter (28-32 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; A large black eagle with wings reaching to end of tail at rest. In sailing flight, exceptionally broad wings held in a flat V above line of back, splayed finger-like and upturned at ends. A pale patch on dark underside of the wings, narrowly Grey-barred tail, and bright yellow cere and feet conspicuous. Sexes are alike. Young; Above; pale brown stippled paler on head and hindneck. Upper tail-coverts fringed with white. Below; throat and breast with fulvous-brown oval drops; belly and flanks dark-streaked. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC. Resident. Widely but patchily distributed in evergreen and moist-deciduous forested foothills and upto 2700 meters. Usually seen gliding lazily on broad outstretched wings close above the forest canopy, expertly weaving in and out among the upper branches and largely birds and rodents. Call is a subdued Kip, kip, kip slowly uttered during an aerial interplay.

5.RINGTAILED OR PALLAS'S FISHING EAGLE SIZE; Kite; length 80 centimeters (32 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; A heavy dark brown eagle with pale golden brown head and neck, and a broad white subterminal band in tail (conspicuous in flight). Sexes are alike: female is larger than male. In sailing flight wings held in it plane as back, the tips slightly downcurved. Tail seldom spread out except in banking. Young birds are dark brown with ear-coverts darker; wings-quills and tail (unbanded) blackish. Underparts paler and grayer. STATUS, HABITAT, ETC; Resident; breeding upto 1800 meters between October and February, part of the migrating to Tibet etc. April to September. Affects rivers, lakes and upland bogs. Hunts fish from lookout mounds or trees by hurting itself on one near the surface, Nat plunging like Osprey. Also takes reptiles, frogs and waterfowl, but lives largely by piracy, bulling and robbing weaker raptors of their lawful prize. Call is loud creaking screams as of an uncoiled wooded block tackle of a village well.

6. GREYHEADED FISHING EAGLE SIZE; kite; length 60(24 inches). FIELD CHARACTERS; above; head and neck Grey; rest dark brown. Tail is basal two-thirds mottled brown and white (looking grayish), terminal third blackish; central pair of rectrices all brown with a broad blackish subterminal band and pale tip. Below; breast pale brown; belly and flanks white. Sexes are alike. In flight, grey head, white belly and vent, and shortest grey-and-black tail diagnostic. Young birds; above; head and neck brown, streaked whitish; rest dark brown, the feathers edged paler. Wing-quills barred. Below, sides of head, chin and throat grayish; breast and flanks pale brown broadly white-streaked. White of belly, flanks and tail heavily mottled with brown.

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