Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Aquila audax
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
20-40 years
Weight
2-5.8
4.4-12.8
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
81-106
31.9-41.7
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
182-232
71.7-91.3
cminch
cm inch 

The Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-colored booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. The Wedge-tailed eagle is highly sensitive to human disturbance at the nest, which may even lead to the abandonment of the young. Historically, these powerful raptors were heavily persecuted by humans but despite that they have proved to be exceptionally resilient and have quickly rebounded to similar or even higher than pre-colonization numbers.

Di

Diurnal

Ca

Carnivore

Sc

Scavenger

Ar

Arboreal

So

Soaring birds

Gl

Gliding

Ap

Apex predator

Te

Terrestrial

Te

Territorial

Ov

Oviparous

Al

Altricial

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

So

Solitary

No

Not a migrant

W

starts with

Appearance

Wedge-tailed eagles are characteristically black but can appear tar to charcoal brown depending on lighting and individual variation. They have a massive bill but possess a relatively small and rather flat head with a long, almost vulturine neck. Furthermore, they are distinctive for their prominent carpals and baggy feathered trousers. Between the bill size, elongated shape and prominent shoulders this species is highly distinctive, with its long wings extend well down long and markedly wedge-tipped tail while perched. They have a large proportion of bare facial skin is thought to be an adaptation to the warm climate not to carrion-eating. Against the blackish plumage, the tawny-rufous hackles on the neck, forming a lanceolated shape, as well as the pale brown to rufous crissum and narrow mottled grey-brown band across the greater wing coverts all stand out well. The sexes are indistinguishable by plumage. The juvenile is mainly darkish brown with extensive rufous feather edging, and a paler, fairly streaky head. Furthermore, the juvenile has a lighter brown crissum, and a light reddish brown to golden nape, with similar colouring extending sometimes to the back and wing band. The wing band is considerably more prominent than those of adults, extending to the median and sometimes the lesser coverts. Rarely, a juvenile may be all dull black, lacking rufous edges or a wing band. Adults have dark brown eyes, while juveniles usually have similar but slightly darker eyes. Wedge-tailed eagles are typically creamy white on the cere and feet, although those can be dull yellow, more so in juveniles than adults. These eagles have a unique moult process in that they moult almost continuously and very slowly, and it might take three or more years for an eagle of the species to complete a moult.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Wedge-tailed eagles are resident throughout Australia, including Tasmania, in part of Papua New Guinea, and in Indonesia. They inhabit open woodland, savanna, heathland, grasslands, desert edge and semi-desert, subalpine forests, montane grasslands, mountain peaks, not-too-dense tropical rainforests, monsoon forests, dwarf conifer forests, some wetlands, and coastal areas, though normally along the coasts they occur around plains somewhat away from the water. These birds favor remote or rough country, at least partially wooded and not uncommonly varied with some rocky spots as well as in shrubland. Wedge-tailed eagles may also be seen near towns and villages in suburban areas, in pasture areas, forestry clearings, and rolling farmland areas.

Wedge-Tailed Eagle habitat map

Climate zones

Wedge-Tailed Eagle habitat map
Wedge-Tailed Eagle
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Habits and Lifestyle

These impressive birds of prey spend much of the day perching in trees or on rocks or similar exposed lookout sites such as cliffs from which they have a good view of their surroundings. Now and then, they take off from their perch to fly low over their territory. During the intense midday heat, they often soar high in the air, circling up on the thermal currents that rise from the ground below. Each pair occupies a home range in which boundary they patrol and advertise their ownership with high-altitude soaring and gliding flights. They may defend their territory by diving into intruders. Wedge-tailed eagles may hunt singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Most prey is captured on the ground in gliding attacks or (less frequently) in the air. Wedge-tailed eagles are generally silent birds. Their commonest calls are high, rather thin whistles, sometimes transcribed as ‘I-see, I-see’ followed by a short descending ‘see-tya’. During the breeding season, they make various other whistles, yelps, squeals, and often rolling series.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Wedge-tailed eagles are carnivores and scavengers. Most of their diet consists of rabbits and brown hares but they also feed on larger mammals such as foxes, feral cats, wallabies, small kangaroos, possums, wombats, koalas, and bandicoots. In some areas, Wedge-tailed eagles prey on birds such as cockatoos, Australian brushturkeys, ducks, crows, ibises, and even young emus. Reptiles are less frequently taken but can include frill-necked lizards, goannas, and brown snakes.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
July-December, in New Guinea from May
INCUBATION PERIOD
45 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
6 months
BABY NAME
eaglet
web.animal_clutch_size
2 eggs

Wedge-tailed eagles are monogamous and mate for years and even for life. They breed from July to December through much of their range, in New Guinea apparently from May on. As the breeding season approaches, pairs perch close to each other and preen one another. They also perform dramatic aerobatic display flights together over their territory. Sometimes, the male dives down at breakneck speed toward his partner. As he pulls out of his dive and rises just above her; she either ignores him or turns over to fly upside down, stretching out her talons. The pair may then perform a loop-the-loop flight. Wedge-tailed eagles usually nest in the fork of a tree between 1-30 m above the ground, but if no suitable sites are available, they will nest on a cliff edge. Before the female lays eggs, both birds either build the large stick nest or add new sticks and leaf lining to an old nest. Nests can be 2-5 m deep and 2-5 m wide. The female usually lays 2 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. After about 45 days, the chicks hatch. They are covered in white down up at first and are expectedly semi-altricial. At first, the male does all the hunting. When the chicks are about 30 days old, the female stops brooding them and joins her mate to hunt for food. Eaglets depend on their parents for food up to 6 months after hatching and leave only when the next breeding season approaches. The first breeding typically occurs at 6 or 7 years of age.

Population

Population threats

The main threat to Wedge-tailed eagles is habitat loss through extensive clearing and deforestation. Other important threats to these powerful birds include illegal persecution and collisions with powerlines.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Wedge-tailed eagle total population size. According to the Australian Government (Department of the Environment and Energy) resource, the total population size of the Wedge-tailed eagle in Tasmania is estimated at less than 1,000 birds. This includes less than 440 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are increasing.

Ecological niche

Wedge-tailed eagles are top predators in their ecosystem; due to their diet habits, they control populations of introduced brown rabbits which make up a large part of these birds' diet.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Wedge-tailed eagles are one of the largest eagles in the world. They have the largest wingspan ever verified for an eagle.
  • Wedge-tailed eagles are highly aerial and soar for hours on end without wingbeat and seemingly without effort; they regularly reach 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and sometimes considerably higher.
  • The Wedge-tailed eagle is the only bird that has a reputation for attacking hang gliders and paragliders (presumably defending its territory). The birds are known to damage the fabric of these gliders with their talons and have also been reported to attack and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles used for mining survey operations in Australia.
  • The presence of a Wedge-tailed eagle often causes panic among smaller birds, and as a result, aggressive species such as magpies, butcherbirds, masked lapwings, and noisy miners aggressively mob eagles.
  • This beautiful bird is an emblem of Australia’s Northern Territory.
  • The West Coast Eagles AFL football club from Western Australia uses a stylized Wedge-tailed eagle as their club emblem. In recent years, they have had a real-life Wedge-tailed eagle named "Auzzie" perform tricks before matches.

References

1. Wedge-Tailed Eagle on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_eagle
2. Wedge-Tailed Eagle on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22696064/93542539
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/184703

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