Steppe Eagle and their age (A Malaysia prospective)

This is a basic to steppe eagle ageing. Please bare in mind that in some occasion you may not see the similar and the moult patter for ageing not be really align. We need to understand that we are living in different area and we see this bird in different time of the year. This may result to some moult may have started and some may how not. 

Below is just ageing made easy for some people

Juvenile

This age it is very distinctive and rather uniform in colour. The head, back, covert, underpart and leg colour are raging from pale brown to greying brown in colour. Distinctive white on the underwing covert which a key feature for the bird identification. In flight feather, the secondaries and inner primaries are greyish. Distinctively dark coarsely  barred on the flight feather. Pale creamy on tip of the feather. Pale tail covert

Second

Very like juvenile plumage. Greater upper wing covert show wear plumage and weakly define line. (Can be similar to GSE). Depending on timing, some individual show some moult on underwing patter however this may not be as overall. Pale tail covert. Tail feather show worn.

Moulting on S1 and S5 and some innermost. Some may show S1-2 and S5-6 moulting

Third

Moulting on flight feather are much more distinctive. White band on underwing covert show uneven in size or at time may show broken. This white band however is still visible and distinctive at this plumage. Underpart show new more adult feather which is usually dark. This may create patchy looking sight. Tail covert are overall pale.

Moulting on P1-3 and adult like in some individual of P3-4. Moulting can also be observed in P6-9. Secondaries are crucial for this part of ageing with S1,5,8,11 and 13 can be observed.

Fourth

Uneven band on the wing can be observed. This is due to new secondaries are showing wider dark subterminal band compare to narrower one of the earlier age. Underwing covert show a mixture of dark and brown patch plumage. White on the underwing which is diagnostic to earlier age are sometimes non noticeable but with careful observation and good photo this can be seen to have some retaining white. At perch the upper part can be view very tawny to brownish pale in colour making them rather similar to clangs group and Fulvescens of GSE. Undertail covert are darker but can be still paler than other part of body. Underpart of body are patch dark in colour. At time more dark than brown. Dull not properly formed carpal patch can be observed in some individual.

This age can be easily confuse with Lesser/Indian spotted eagle 

Moulting at S1-3 can be observed.

Adult

Overall the bird are dark brown including tail cover and underwing. Naped maybe paler depending on subspecies and variation of steppe eagle. Carpal patch are formed. Flight feather with dark band to the tip forming dark trailing edge.