Wedge-tailed Eagle

Appearance

The female wedge-tailed eagle weighs between 3 and 5.77 kg, while the smaller males weigh 2 to 4 kg. Length varies between 81 and 106 cm and the wingspan typically is between 182 and 232 cm.

Young eagles are a mid-brown colour with slightly lighter and reddish-brown wings and head. As they grow older, their colour becomes darker, reaching a dark blackish-brown shade after about 10 years. Adult females tend to be slightly paler than males. Although it rarely needs to be distinguished from other ''Aquila'' eagles, its long, wedge-shaped tail is unique to this species.

Status

The subspecies from Tasmania is listed as endangered by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 with fewer than 200 pairs left in the wild. Like the thylacine, the eagle was once subject to a bounty in Tasmania, as it was believed to prey on livestock.

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.

Behavior

Wedge-tailed eagles are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wingbeat and seemingly without effort, regularly reaching 1,800 m and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into ultraviolet bands.

Habitat

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.

Food

Most prey is captured on the ground in gliding attacks or 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. 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, bush turkeys, ducks, crows, ibises, and even emus are more frequent prey items. Reptiles are less frequently taken, but can include frill-necked lizards, goannas, and brown snakes.