Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) lives in open savanna across Australia, New Guinea. It feeds on small mammals birds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Wedge-Tailed Eagle
- A female wedge-tailed eagle can span a wingspan of up to 284 cm (9 ft 4 in), the largest verified for any eagle, while an average wingspan recorded in 1930 was about 204 cm (6 ft 8 in). This extreme wing length, combined with a tail up to 45 cm (18 in), lets the bird glide on thermals. Such aerial efficiency makes it a top predator across deserts, forests and mountains.
- Wedge-tailed eagles nest in sticks up to 1.8 m (6 ft) wide and 3 m (10 ft) deep after repeated use, often on the tallest tree in a stand. They lay one to four eggs but usually raise only one or two fledglings, which stay with parents for 3-6 months before dispersing. Human disturbance, logging, nest destruction, can cause abandonment, showing how fragile their reproductive success is despite the species' overall resilience.
- Since European colonisation, the wedge-tailed eagle's numbers have rebounded to pre-settlement levels, largely because humans unintentionally supplied abundant food: introduced European rabbits and roadkill. This opportunistic diet helped the species recover from historic poisoning and shooting, illustrating how an apex predator can thrive when novel prey replace lost native sources.
- The Tasmanian subspecies A. a. fleayi is larger than its mainland counterpart, with outsized talons and a deep chocolate-brown plumage. Genetic studies show no gene flow between Tasmanian and mainland eagles, indicating long-term isolation despite the species' occasional sea crossings. This distinct lineage underpins the subspecies' endangered status, with only about 130 breeding pairs remaining.
- Females weigh between 3.0 and 5.8 kg (6.6-12.8 lb) while males range from 2 to 4 kg (4.4-8.8 lb), meaning the female is on average 33 % larger, a striking example of sexual dimorphism in raptors.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeAustralia, New Guinea
HabitatOpen savanna
DietSmall mammals birds
About the Wedge-Tailed Eagle
Across the sun-baked expanse of the Australian outback, the wedge-tailed eagle soars with majestic aplomb, its broad wings beating in a slow, powerful rhythm as it rides the thermals high above the spinifex grass. With eyes that seem to pierce the very soul of the landscape, this regal bird of prey surveys its domain, a master of the skies and a symbol of wild beauty, its wedge-shaped tail a distinctive silhouette against the brilliant blue. As it banks and turns, the eagle's tawny feathers glisten like burnished gold in the sunlight, a truly awe-inspiring sight.
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