Booted Eagle (light phase), La Marina Scrublands, Spain
The booted is a small eagle, comparable to the common buzzard in size though more eagle-like in shape. Males grow to about 510–770 g (1.12–1.70 lb) in weight, with females about 840–1,025 g (1.852–2.260 lb) with a length of 40 cm and a wingspan of 110–132 cm. There are two relatively distinct plumage forms. Pale birds are mainly light grey with a darker head and flight feathers. The other form has mid-brown plumage with dark grey flight feathers. It was found in a study investigating polymorphism that these discrete colour morphs follow a Mendelian inheritance pattern, where the paler allele is dominant. In South Africa, 20% of the population is the dark colour morph. Booted eagles are typically seen in pairs or as solitary individuals. However, the study found that the darker morphs are much more common in the eastern populations such as in Russia.
Booted Eagle (light phase), La Marina Scrublands, Spain
The booted is a small eagle, comparable to the common buzzard in size though more eagle-like in shape. Males grow to about 510–770 g (1.12–1.70 lb) in weight, with females about 840–1,025 g (1.852–2.260 lb) with a length of 40 cm and a wingspan of 110–132 cm. There are two relatively distinct plumage forms. Pale birds are mainly light grey with a darker head and flight feathers. The other form has mid-brown plumage with dark grey flight feathers. It was found in a study investigating polymorphism that these discrete colour morphs follow a Mendelian inheritance pattern, where the paler allele is dominant. In South Africa, 20% of the population is the dark colour morph. Booted eagles are typically seen in pairs or as solitary individuals. However, the study found that the darker morphs are much more common in the eastern populations such as in Russia.