The Steppe Eagle, (Aquila nipalensis) is a passage migrant in central Iran, spending winter in flat planes around Yazd Province.They prefer open steppes and semi desert habitat between Kashan foothills and Yazd wadis.
Steppe Eagle is about 62-81 cm (24-32 in) in length and has a wingspan of 165-200 cm (65-79 in). Females, weighing 2.3-4.9 kg (5-10.8 lbs), are slightly larger than males, at 2-3.5 kg (4.4-7.7 lbs). They winter widely in Central steppes of Iran. They tend to live close together while wintering in Iran. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the non-migratory Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy (Clark, 1992; Olson, 1994; Sangsteret al., 2002); molecular analysis[citation needed] indicates that these birds are not even each other's closest relatives.
