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Common breeding migrant. Inhabits the arid steppes, semi-deserts and northern part of desert zone with rock outcrop, the low xerophytic mountains and foothills of high ridges, in places of rodents living. In mountains nests up to 2000 m. Appears in March or in early April, the latest migrants observed at Chokpak Pass in mid-May. Breeds in separate pairs, 0.5-1.5 km apart from each other. Nest is built on the small hills among the shrub spots; nest is built on ground, on rocks or on separate trees, from the dry twigs and is lined with grass, rags, horse droppings; and used for some years. Laying of 1-3 eggs is in April – early May. Chicks hatch from the end of May. Both parents feed nestlings which fledge in the age about 60 days old, from the end of June to early August. The autumn migration begins from the end of August; majority of Steppe Eagles fly off in September. The significant migration traffic was noticed in north-westerly from Emba river area and Mugodzhar mountains through the Ustyurt plateau. On Chokpak Pass the peak of migration is in October when the scattered flocks of several dozen Steppe Eagles are common, and several hundreds Eagles can be counted in one day.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.