An Unusual Record of Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) in Winter in Ankara, Turkey

The population of the Greater Spotted Eagle is considered vulnerable (VU) globally according to the IUCN. Its population trend is decreasing. The wintering distribution still has not been studied enough in Anatolia and in the Middle East. This species is a local winter visitor around wetlands in western and southern Turkey. The main aim of this study is to give information about the new unusual record and evaluate historical wintering records for this species in Turkey. An adult Greater Spotted Eagle with Ukrainian ring was observed and photographed while it was roosting on the Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) tree around the wild boar carcass at an altitude of 1670 m in So？uksu National Park, Ankara on January 24, 2017. There were no specific studies on this species in Turkey before. Only bird watching records are available about the species. The average number of wintering individuals in Turkey between 1990 and 2017 is 50. Specific surveys are needed to determine wintering population trends. Researches on wintering distribution in Turkey should be extended in the following years