They have strongly curved talons,[5] and spicules along the underside of the birds' toes help to grip fish as they pull them from the water.

[5] The lesser fish eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey that is primarily gray-brown in colour with broad, blunt wings and coarse featherless legs.

[8] The lesser fish eagle has been known to live in India and the Kashmir region,[8] spanning eastward into Nepal, China, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

[6] Adults move south of the Himalayan mountain ranges, but remain partial and altitudinal in the Himalayas throughout the year.

[8] The numbers of the lesser fish eagle are in decline for various reasons such as habitat loss, human disturbance, as well as hunting and nest robbery.