IUCN threat status:

Least Concern (LC)


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Wedge-tailed eagle

"Eaglehawk" redirects here. For other uses, see Eaglehawk (disambiguation).

The wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), sometimes known as the eaglehawk (both misnomers, as it is not a hawk, and its tail is shaped more like a diamond), is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs and an unmistakable diamond-shaped tail. Because of both its tail and its size—it is one of the largest birds of prey in the world—it can be identified at a glance as a "Wedgie" even by the non-expert.

The wedge-tailed eagle is one of twelve species of large predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. A large brown bird of prey, it has a wingspan of up to 2.27 m (7 ft 5 in) and a length up to 1.06 m (3 ft 6 in).[2]


In flight the diamond-shaped tail is clearly visible
Nest site in the Barmah-Millewa Forest
At Symbio Wildlife Park, New South Wales, Australia
Wedge-tailed eagle



Its range and habitat sometimes overlap with the white-bellied sea eagle, which is similar in size and shape and also has a somewhat diamond-shaped tail, although rather smaller and less distinctive. In silhouette and poor light, the two can look somewhat similar. Closer examination reveals the belly colour or tail size to distinguish the two.

Breeding and habitat[edit]

Aquila audax Egg - MHNT

Wedge-tails are found throughout Australia, including Tasmania, and southern New Guinea in almost all habitats, though they tend to be more common in lightly timbered and open country in southern and eastern Australia. In New Guinea, the birds can be found in the Trans Fly savanna and grasslands.

As the breeding season approaches, a pair of wedge-tailed eagles will perch close to each other and preen one other. They also perform dramatic aerobatic display flights together over their territory. Sometimes the male dives down at breakneck speed towards his partner. As he pulls out of his dive and rises just above her on outstretched wings, she either ignores him or turns over to fly upside down, stretching out her talons. The pair may then perform a loop-the-loop. The wedge-tailed eagle usually nests in the fork of a tree between one and thirty metres above the ground, but if there are no suitable sites, it will nest on a cliff edge.


The young wedge-tailed eagles depend on their parents for food for up to six months after hatching. They leave only when the next breeding season approaches.

Behaviour and diet[edit]


Feeding on carrion in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Most prey is captured on the ground in gliding attacks or (less frequently) in the air. Choice of prey is very much a matter of convenience and opportunity: since the arrival of Europeans, the introduced rabbit and brown hare have become the primary items of the eagle's diet in many areas.[6] Larger introduced mammals such as foxes and feral cats are also occasionally taken, while native animals such as wallabies, small kangaroos, possums, koalas and bandicoots are also preyed on. In some areas, birds such as cockatoos, ducks, crows, ibis, and even emu are more frequent prey items. Reptiles are less frequently taken, however frill-necked lizards, goannas and brown snakes are occasionally preyed on.


Carrion is a major diet item also: wedge-tails can spot the activity of Australian ravens (sometimes known as crows) around a carcass from a great distance, and glide down to appropriate it. Wedge-tailed eagles are often seen by the roadside in rural Australia, feeding on animals that have been killed in collisions with vehicles.

This impressive bird of prey spends much of the day perching in trees or on rocks or similar exposed lookout sites such as cliffs from which it has a good view of its surroundings. Now and then, it takes off from its perch to fly low over its territory. During the intense heat of the middle part of the day, it often soars high in the air, circling up on the thermal currents that rise from the baking ground below. Each pair occupies a home range, which may extend from as little as 9 km2 (3.5 sq mi) to more than 100 km2 (39 sq mi). Within this home range lies a breeding territory around the nest. The eagle patrols the boundary of this home range and advertises its ownership with high-altitude soaring and gliding flights. It may defend its territory by diving on intruders. Adults are avian apex predators and have no natural predators but must defend their eggs and nestlings against nest predators such as corvids, currawongs, or other wedge-tailed eagles and in Tasmania there is often conflict with the white-bellied sea eagle over nest sites.


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 (see video).

Conservation status[edit]


Decreasing numbers of Tasmanian devils may be beneficial to the wedge-tailed eagles in Tasmania, as it could reduce competition for roadkill and devil predation on wedge-tailed eagle young.[9]

As an emblem[edit]

Parks and Wildlife Service Northern Territory (Australia) use the wedge-tailed eagle, superimposed over a map of the Northern Territory, as their emblem. The New South Wales Police Force emblem contains a wedge-tailed eagle in flight, as does the Northern Territory Correctional Services. La Trobe University in Melbourne also uses the wedge-tailed eagle in its corporate logo and coat of arms.[10] The Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Air Force Cadets Use the Wedge-Tailed on their badge.[11] Australian Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment Early in 1967, the 2nd Cavalry Regiment received its new badge, a wedge tailed eagle swooping, carrying a lance bearing the motto "Courage" in its talons. The regiment's mascot is a Wedge-tailed Eagle named "Courage". Since its formation, there have been two, Courage I and Courage II. In 1997, while on flight training with his handlers, Corporal Courage II refused to cooperate and flew away, not being found for two days following an extensive search. He was charged with being AWOL and reduced to the rank of Trooper. He was promoted back to Corporal in 1998.[12][13]

The West Coast Eagles AFL football club uses a wedge-tailed eagle as their club mascot.


  2. ^ a b c Debus, S.J.S. (1994). "Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)". In del Hoyo, Elliott & Sargatal. Handbook of the Birds of the World 2. p. 198. ISBN 84-87334-15-6. 
  3. ^ a b c Ferguson-Lees, Christie, Franklin, Mead & Burton (2001). Raptors of the World. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-12762-3. 
  4. ^ Morgan, A. M. (1932). "The Spread and Weight of the Wedge-tailed Eagle (Uroaetus audax)" (PDF). S.A. Ornithologist 11: 156–7. 
  8. ^ Department of the Environment. "Aquila audax fleayi — Wedge-tailed Eagle (Tasmanian)". Australian Government. Retrieved 25 January 2009. 
  9. ^ "DRAFT Recovery Plan for the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)" (PDF). Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Australian Government. 2010. p. 15. 
  11. ^ http://www.airforce.gov.au
  12. ^ http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-army-today/rar-sasr/2cav.htm
  13. ^ 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Australia)



Source: Wikipedia


