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6

Bonelli's Eagle

(Aquila fasciata)
German name(s): "Habichtsadler"
Size: 55-65 cm; wing span 1.45-1.65 m

Similar
species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Bonelli's Eagle at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

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]

Sex unknown

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.

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