The species tends to perch in a fairly upright position often on rather exposed tree branch or low mound, rock, haystack or similar convenient site.

[3] The adult plumage is largely a tar-like blackish-brown but for a well-demarcated and highly contrasting creamy to golden buff colour about the crown, hindneck and neck sides.

[27] The juvenile eastern imperial eagle is mostly pale tawny-buff to sandy yellow with fairly heavy dark brown streaks from the throat down to the breast, mantle, scapulars and forewing coverts.

Feather wear can make the wing shape of the two resemble the other but the larger head and less compact frame of the imperial species render its flight profile distinctive.

An unlikely source of confusion, the Verreaux's differs in almost all plumage characteristics and has far more tapered wings that pinch in at the base and, like the golden eagle, tends to fly in a fairly strong dihedral.

[3] In Asia, its proportions and size may be suggestive of the perhaps even rarer Pallas's fish eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) and the two can potentially be mistaken in strongly backlit conditions which obscure their obviously distinct plumages.

[1][3][5][43] Though typically seen in very small numbers at main raptor migration sites, the species may occur as a passage migrant through much of the Middle East down to Yemen, with pockets of wintering eagles in Israel, northern Jordan, central Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, northeastern Iraq and adjacent southwestern Iran.

[1][3][5][27] Other semi-regular wintering areas include southern Bhutan, Thailand and north Indochina (recorded across Chinese border in southwestern Yunnan) and spottily in east China where wildlands still occur.

[3][39][64] Largely where golden eagles are absent, the species has been reported to range into secondary habitats such as forested lower mountains and montane steppe and meadowland.

[3][65] Often, eastern imperial eagles winter in more open habitats such as nearly continuous grassland, plains, semi-desert and cultivation with scattered trees as well as various marshes, lakes and other wetlands.

[66][68] Small to medium-sized mammals are the most regularly selected prey, with a preference for hares, various rodents, especially ground squirrels, hamsters and voles, as well as insectivores.

[66][70][73] It is possible with reintroductions of the European ground squirrel underway in central Europe, that this prey species may again become more significant in the eastern imperial eagle's diet again here.

[75] In studies of two different areas of Bulgaria, one showed European hares as the main prey (25%) in the Dervent heights and southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) (32.5%) in the other, Saker mountain.

Thus, eastern imperial eagles appear to prefer rodents and similar small mammals that are burrow-dwelling and/or partial to ground dwelling in open grass or fields along wooded edges.

[66][68] European studies reflect the high importance of common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), in Europe a non-native gamebird (although the imperial eagle also encounters and hunts the species extensively in its native range as well), in their foods.

[76] The largest study of the eastern imperial eagle's dietary habits known occurred in the vast Naurzum Nature Reserve in Kazakhstan, where 11,079 prey items were reviewed.

However, the imperial eagle in particularly here took to regularly hunting various adult water birds especially ducks, geese and large rails and had a mean daily food intake (not mean prey size) of 539 g (1.188 lb).

[79] However, in some breeding populations, apparently the eagles can come to rely on dead or already injured prey inadvertently provided by humans, largely due to intensive agricultural practices, as was the case in the Czech Republic.

[87] Almost any mammal or bird will be readily eaten when dead or dying by imperial eagles, with at least 10 species of ungulate known to be consumed thusly and providing an ample source of meat.

[27][71][97][98][99] In Africa, the Imperial eagle consumes mammals up to 5 kg (11 lb) as live prey, which is similar in weight to the largest avian kill in Europe.

[105] On the contrary, in the Altai Republic, it appears that golden and eastern imperial eagles are considered to fill a largely similar ecological niche in abutting areas and do compete for nesting sites.

In particular, smaller raptors with largely overlapping diets (i.e. ground squirrels, hamsters, voles & lagomorphs) and habitat preferences such as saker falcons (Falco cherrug) and long-legged buzzards (Buteo rufinus) are often at a disadvantage in direct competition with the eagle species.

Here, four species consisting of saker falcons, western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus), black-winged kite (Elanus caeruleus) and Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) as well as red foxes were all robbed of their catches with a remarkable degree of success by imperial eagles.

[7][124] The eastern imperial eagle is a fairly solitary bird, with rarely more than a pair occurring, although some small gatherings recorded at waterholes or food during migrant or winter.

Pairs on the breeding grounds engage in aerial displays with loud calling and extensive high circling, which like most of accipitrids is likely for the purposes territorial proclamation to other eagles of their species.

[78] As was recorded in 13 cases in Slovakia, if eggs are lost early into incubation, around March or April, a replacement clutch may be laid, though always the parent eagles used an alternate nest when this occurred.

[19][149][150] Further study in Kazakhstan showed that adult survivorship was about 84%, which is somewhat low for long-lived raptor, but nonetheless reproductive rate shown to be sufficient to maintain a stable breeding population.

Among the efforts untaken to restore the Bulgarian populations were mitigating hazardous electrical poles, 608 were insulated within eagle territories, while also 483 supplemental feedings were given to 14 pairs from October to March.

According to Russian and Kazakh studies, cattle grazing in taiga forest edge appeared to benefit imperial eagles since they encourage habitat for prey, especially ground squirrels.

The reason for the sharp declines of the Baikal imperial eagles are not fully understood but are likely correlated with habitat destruction and human land use changes followed by pesticide use and other toxic threats through bioaccumulation.