Wedge Tailed Eagle
Wedge Tailed Eagle
Click a thumbnail to see a slideshow
| COMMON NAME: | Wedge Tailed Eagle |
| LATIN NAME: | Aquila audax |
| FOOD: | Rabbits, wallabies and small kangaroos. They will also eat snakes, lizards, large birds, possums, foxes and feral cats. |
| HABITAT: | The wedge-tailed eagle can be found all over Australia, but it is more commonly found in open woodland areas. |
| LOCALITY: | Australia wide |
| WEIGHT: | The female has a weight of 4.2kg and the male has a weight of 3.2kg. |
| WING SPAN: | 2.5 metres |
| BEHAVIOUR: |
The wedge-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia. It soars and glides majestically in the air currents for up to 90 minutes at a time, reaching altitudes that can go beyond 2000 m. Wedge-tailed eagles usually spend the hours around sunrise and sunset viewing their territory from the treetops. They hunt early, and for the rest of the day they either sit on exposed perches or circle and glide in the air. Although they spend little time maintaining their territory, wedge- tailed eagles will advertise their presence by flying at high altitudes and gliding along the boundaries of their range. |
| DEVELOPMENT: |
Adult wedge-tailed eagles pair off for life. During the breeding season they preen each other, and they will attack unfamiliar wedge-tailed eagles who might invade their territory. The eagles' nest consists of a large platform of sticks in the fork of a tree. Both sexes repair the nest, and the male lines it daily with fresh leaves. He will also occasionally sit on the eggs to incubate them, relieving the female from this task. During the incubation period, and after the chicks have hatched, the male does all the hunting. Upon his return to the nest, the prey is shredded by the female and fed to the young. In a good season two chicks may be reared (see above for a photo of wedge-tailed eagle chicks). Usually only the fittest survives while the younger chick starves to death. Sometimes the older and larger chick may kill its sibling. In drought-affected areas, wedge-tailed eagles may not breed at all for several years. |
| DESCRIPTION: |
Young Wedge-tailed Eagles are mid brown in colour with reddish- brown heads and wings. They become progressively blacker for at least the first ten years of their lives; adults are mostly dark blackish- brown. There are no differences in plumage between the sexes other than that a female adult is generally slightly paler than her mate. The bill is pale pink to cream and a characteristic long, wedge-shaped tail, and legs that are feathered all the way to the base of the toes. |
