Booted Eagle

A pale morph Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus seen flying over the Doi Lor rice fields where we stopped for some late morning birding on a very hot day en route to Doi Inthanon National Park. Three birds comprising both pale and dark morphs were seen well in flight.

Booted Eagle breeds in southern Europe, North Africa and across Asia, and also in western South Africa and Namibia. The northern populations are migratory, wintering in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, while the small southern African populations are sedentary. This is a species of wooded, often hilly countryside with some open areas, it breeds in rocky, broken terrain but migrants will use almost any type of habitat other than dense forest.

Booted Eagle is a medium-sized eagle and considered to be a rare passage migrant, winter visitor or even a vagrant in Thailand, according to widely-used field guides. Nation-wide raptor censuses in winter, organized by Thai Raptor Group (TRG) and volunteered by birders, revealed that the species was more common than previously thought, particularly in suitable habitats. Its winter range covers four regions of Thailand, including North-west, North-east, the central plains and southern provinces. Compiled sighting records of the species in TRG database showed that its occurrence was frequent in suitable habitats, which is mainly dry rice field, and more than five sightings per year were counted.

Reference: Wikipedia; ResearchGate