|
|
Bonelli's Eagle
(Aquila fasciata)
German name(s): "Habichtsadler"
Size: 55-65 cm; wing span 1.45-1.65 m
|
|
 |
Similar species |
|
 |
Physical description |
|
Click here for a physical description
Bonelli's Eagles are relatively large raptors, but only medium-sized
eagles.
The sexes are alike, although females are both larger and heavier
than males.
The underparts, from chin to vent, are light-grey, with darker grey
streaking. The undertail coverts are barred white/dark-grey, while
the undertail is grey with a wide black terminal band. Many individuals
have a patch on the mantle in the same colours; others lack that
feature in their plumage.
The legs are completely feathered, also in the same shades of grey.
Their underwings have prominent dark-grey wing bars behind a grey,
streaked leading edge, out to the carpal joint; the primary flight
feathers and the tips of the secondaries and tertiaries are black,
leading to an all-black outer fringe on the underwings. The rest
of the wing is light- to mid-grey. Bonelli's Eagles glide with
projecting carpal and straight trailing wing edge.
The top of the head, the hindneck and the back are dark grey-brown.
The upperwing coverts have rufous outer edges and dark-grey centres,
leading to a scalloped appearance.
The irises are orange-brown.
The strong, hooked bill is yellow, with a dark-grey tip. The feet
are yellow-orange.
Juveniles
have rufous-buff underparts, with dark streaking on the
throat and chest, and rufous-buff underwing coverts, of which the
primary coverts have dark tips. The primaries are dark-grey, while
the rest of the flight feathers are mid-grey with fine darker
barring. The undertail shows the same mid-grey colour with fine
darker barring. There is no underwing bar yet. When worn, the
underparts can become very pale, in a mixture of ruff and grey.
The upperparts are similar to those of
adults,
only a bit lighter and more rufous.
Over the course of 4 years, the body first becomes darker with
the appearance of dark streaks, before the rufous parts later
turn grey. The dark underwing bar becomes visible gradually,
with the carpal spot developing first and the rest keeping a
ragged, blotchy appearance until breeding age is reached.
The upperparts do not change prominently.
|
 |
Taxonomy, classification |
|
See Bonelli's
Eagle at Wikipedia .
|
 |
Range, habitat, finding this species |
|
Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of Bonelli's Eagle is available
HERE
.
Bonelli's Eagles are sedentary throughout their range.
Their overall distribution is patchy (see e.g.
Wikipedia
). It ranges from the
Atlas mountain range in North-west Africa, via parts of
the Mediterranean and isolated areas in the Middle East,
Arabia and South-west Asia to parts of Afghanistan,
Pakistan and most of India (except a wide coastal
strip along the East coast of the subcontinent).
They are also present in parts of Thailand and along a
wide strip along the coastline of southern to central
China. There is also a population in eastern Indonesia.
In Europe Bonelli's Eagle is present only in the Mediterranean.
Their range extends from large parts of Iberia, via the South
of France to Sardinia, Sicily and the southern tip of Italy.
They are also present along the eastern Adriatic coastline,
in large parts of Greece and on Crete (and other, smaller
islands off the coast of Turkey).
Bonelli's Eagles have a preference for mountainous terrain
or areas with caves or cliffs for nesting.
|
 |
Sightings |
|
Click here for sighting information
J. Pires reports finding Bonelli's Eagles
occasionally in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.
|
 |
Photos |
|
 |
ADULT |
|
The sexes of the birds presented below were not determined by
looking at the morphology of their
plumage, but
instead by studying the behaviour and establishing the relative
sizes of the partners in a mated pair.
In addition to this, the male bird shown in photos taken in
October 2013, which still has an at least partly immature
plumage,
is categorized here as an adult male, because it was found
to be breeding with a female with adult
plumage.
 |
MALE |
|
Ventral view of an adult male Bonelli's Eagle -
note the absence of a black terminal band on the tail; also the
still dark upper body and the patchy appearance of the dark
underwing bar indicate that this bird is still in sub-adult
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
 |
FEMALE |
|
Lateral/ventral view of an adult female Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
Ventral view of an adult female Bonelli's Eagle -
note the broad black terminal band on the tail; also the
underwing morphology characterises this bird as an adult
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
Ventral view of an adult female Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
Ventral view of an adult female Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
 |
PAIR |
|
Distant view of a pair of Bonelli's Eagles in flight
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2013]
Near-lateral/ventral view of an adult Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2016]
Lateral/ventral view of an adult Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2016]
Lateral/ventral view of an adult Bonelli's Eagle - note the
bird's full crop
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Malarranha, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2023]
Ventral view of an adult Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]
 |
IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
|
Lateral/ventral view of a second-year immature Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]
Lateral/ventral view of a first-year juvenile Bonelli's Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, November 2020]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.