This species of bird is known by many names such as the Bonelli’s eagle, the spotted eagle, or the large march eagle, and its scientific name is Aquila fasciata.
Let’s learn more about it from teketrek.
The Bonelli’s eagle specification
The wings: The Bonelli’s eagle is characterized by having long wings with powerful muscles that help it fly at very high altitudes and cover long distances.
The claws, the beak: It also has very sharp, large, and hooked claws, as well as a sharp, hooked beak to help kill and tear apart its prey.
The head: The Bonelli’s eagle has a completely polished head.
The eyes: eyes approximately the size of a human eye, but with vision about 4 to 8 times stronger than that of humans.
The Color: Its body is covered in dark brown or black feathers
The Bonelli’s eagle size: females are usually larger than males.
The length: Bonelli’s eagle measures between 65 to 74 centimeters in length, Bonelli’s Eagle wingspan ranging from 150 to 170 centimeters.
The weight: It weighs between 1500 to 2100 grams.
Facts about the Bonelli’s eagle
The Bonelli’s eagle often hunts using a concealed tree perch or a high vantage point in irregular rocky terrains to observe prey activity.
When it spots its quarry, it often takes off quickly to catch birds during takeoff or mammals during running for cover.
It tends to soar directly above others, with many cases of one eagle spreading out a flock of birds for another eagle to sort through quickly.
The Bonelli’s eagle takes a wide variety of prey throughout its range, with its prey spectrum known to include nearly 200 species.
In the early morning on cool days, the eagles usually prepare for their day of hunting by preening their feathers.
After the surrounding air warms up, the eagles disperse in search of food and strength.
The Bonelli’s eagle belongs to the Accipitridae family, the chordates phylum, the vertebrate’s subphylum, the bird’s class, and it resides in the mountains.
This species is highly aerial, often soaring at high altitudes and circling around its territory like most birds of prey.
It lives either solitary or in breeding pairs.
The Bonelli’s eagle is a powerful predator and has been described as bold and voracious, remembering its basic hunting techniques similar to those of powerful Accipiter species such as the goshawk.
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Where does the Bonelli’s eagle live
The Bonelli’s eagle is found throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Middle East.
It is also found in 3 French regions: Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône-Alpes, and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
The Bonelli’s eagle is found in northwest Africa from the Anti-Atlas in Morocco, northeast across the lower parts of the Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria, and northern Tunisia (and possibly northern Libya previously).
Bonelli’s eagle has also been found in the Korean Peninsula, Malaysia, and Cochinchina in Vietnam.
What is the Bonelli’s eagle’s diet
The Bonelli’s eagle primarily hunts birds and mammals and takes reptiles and other prey species on a local and intermittent basis.
Compared to most other eagles, the Bonelli’s eagle takes a large majority of its prey alive and rarely scavenges or pirates from other predatory food.
However, it easily preys on previously injured prey, especially water birds hunted by hunters, and will take small animals easily across most prey categories.
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Reproductive stages of the Bonelli’s eagle
The Bonelli’s eagle begins breeding when it reaches sexual maturity, which occurs at 4-5 years of age.
The breeding season varies depending on the habitat; females lay their eggs in Florida in November, while females lay their eggs in Alaska from late April to May.
In southern Minnesota, the Bonelli’s eagle lays its eggs from late February to early March, while in the north, it lays its eggs from April to early May.
In addition, male Bonelli’s eagles attract females through dramatic aerial courtship displays.
The male remains with his mate for many years unless she dies or does not return to their nesting site for the next breeding season.
The female Bonelli’s eagle lays her eggs 5-10 days after mating, laying 1-3 eggs, usually 1-2 days apart.
FAQs about Bonelli’s eagles
- How long do Bonelli’s eagles live?
Bonelli’s Eagle lifespan averages in the wild ranging from 20-25 years. However, 70-80% of eagles die before reaching adulthood, usually dying around 5 years of age. - Do Bonelli’s eagles live in groups or solitary?
Bonelli’s eagles are social animals and live-in colonies that can number up to 1000 individuals. - How do you identify a Bonelli’s eagle?
The Bonelli’s eagle is a medium-sized raptor with a sleek, athletic build. It has distinctive streaked whitish underparts that contrast with its dark wings and tail. Juvenile Bonelli’s eagles are rufous underneath and lack the broad dark band at the tip of the tail that adults have. This species is typically found in forests or mountainous regions, and sometimes in more open areas during winter, often preferring remote locations.
- What are some interesting facts about the Bonelli’s eagle?
The Philippine eagle is considered the largest eagle in the world when measured by length and wing surface area. However, in terms of weight and overall bulk, the Steller’s sea eagle and the Harpy eagle are larger. The Philippine eagle, which has been declared the national bird of the Philippines, stands out for its impressive size and wingspan.
In conclusion, Bonelli’s eagle is important to ensure adequate protection for such bird species and to make significant efforts to protect them from predation.
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