Ploceus melanocephalus

Booted Eagle - This is a medium sized bird of prey. Quite small in eagle terms. It breeds in Southern Europe and winters in Sub Saharan Africa and South Asia. They will feed on lizards, rabbits and most ground feeding birds as Partridge or Quail. They leave Europe in the Autumn and return in March. It is frequently seen performing superb spectacular swoops at high speed. They prefer to nest in high trees and are therefore threatened by loss of habitat in south-eastern Europe where forests are being destroyed. Wonderful to observe in flight. I came across these superb birds in the Algarve Portugal hunting over Vilamoura reed beds.

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