NL·0215Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Aquila audax
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Native to
- Australia, southern New Guinea
- Habitat
- Savanna, Open woodland, Mountain
On eBird ↗
Wedge-tailed Eagle
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
Wedge-tailed eagle
Aquila audax
Also calledWaalitj (Noongar) · Bunjil (Kulin nations) · Wedgie (Australian English)
Australia's largest bird of prey, with a distinctive diamond-shaped tail. It soars on thermals for hours and is revered in Aboriginal cultures.
The wedge-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of the species have long, broad wings, fully feathered legs, an unmistakable, wedge-shaped tail, an elongated upper mandible, a strong beak, and powerful feet. The wedge-tailed eagle is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. Genetic research clearly has indicated that the wedge-tailed eagle is fairly closely related to other, generally large members of the Aquila genus. A large, brown-to-black bird of prey, it has a maximum reported wingspan of 2.84 m and a length up to 1.06 m. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iSoars on thermals to great heights
- iiHunts cooperatively to take prey like kangaroos and goats
- iiiBuilds huge stick nests up to 2 m across
In the field
Field marks
- aVery large, dark brown to black plumage
- bLong, wedge-shaped tail
- cFeathered legs
- dPale bill with dark tip
- Voice
- Mostly silent; gives whistling yelps.
- Not to be confused with
- Little eagle is much smaller with a square-cut tail and pale underwing band. Black kite has a shallow forked tail and slender build. Black-breasted buzzard has white 'bullseye' windows in the primaries and a short square tail. Only the wedge-tail shows the long diamond-shaped tail.
- Where to see it
- Outback Australia; Flinders Ranges, Kakadu, Tasmania
- When
- Resident
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Rabbits, wallabies, kangaroos, birds, reptiles, carrion
- Habitat
- Woodland, savanna and open country
- Size
- 81–106 cm; wingspan up to 2.3 m
Pairs soar together, performing undulating flights and talon-grappling displays.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Australia, southern New Guinea
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
No plate in the Source Library names this exact species, so these show its closest relatives as the old naturalists drew them: same genus, or the same kind of animal. Click a plate to read the page it came from, with translation.
History of Animals, Book I: On Viviparous Quadrupeds
Relative · Conrad Gessner · 1554 · p.377
Ornithology
Relative · Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.267
François Bouchard — Recueil de cent-trente-trois oiseaux des plus belles especes (1775)
Relative · François Bouchard · 1775 · p.12
Ornithologiae: de avibus historiae libri XII
Relative · Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1599 · p.251
François Bouchard — Recueil de cent-trente-trois oiseaux des plus belles especes (1775)
Relative · François Bouchard · 1775 · p.6
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Aquila audax in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
To the Kulin nations of Victoria, Bunjil the wedge-tailed eagle is the creator ancestor. The Tasmanian subspecies is listed as Endangered.
Curiosity
Wedge-tailed eagles have been known to attack hang-gliders and drones.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 5080.