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16 January 2016

A second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl in January I saw and photographed a second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle.  The species is rarely seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl although the Greater Spotted Eagle is seen almost every visit during the winter. The Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with most records coming from the north of the country where they are generally seen inland rather than near the coast. The species breeds from Eastern Europe across Asia to China and winters in the Middle East, east Africa south to Tanzania, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and from Thailand to Korea. Currently Eastern Imperial Eagle is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as it has a small global population and is likely to be undergoing continuing declines, primarily as a result of habitat loss and degradation, persecution and prey depletion.
Eastern Imperial Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle