At least seven Greater Spotted Eagles Clanga clanga were recorded at a wetland
site near Jubail in mid-November. Birds winter at a number of sites in Saudi
Arabia with the Jubail area the best for the species in the Eastern province.
In winter birds are almost always near wetland areas with large areas where
they can hunt undisturbed. They occupy a fragmented range, breeding mainly in
Estonia, Poland, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, mainland China
and Mongolia. Passage or wintering birds occur in small numbers over a vast
area, including central and eastern Europe, North Africa, East Africa, the
Middle East, the Arabian peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent, south Asia and
South-East Asia. The Greater Spotted Eagle is suspected to have undergone at
least a moderately rapid decline over the last three generations as a result of
habitat loss and degradation throughout its breeding and wintering ranges,
together with the effects of disturbance, persecution and competition with
other predators. The species is listed on the Red Data list as Vulnerable as
the species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term
future.
