Chosun Juan
Given to Fly
Both Goldies and Wedgies are of the Genus Aquila, as are our mainland Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax), and the sub-species Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax fleayi). Yet the mainland (audax), and Tasmanian (audax fleayi) sometimes occupy vastly different habitats now.
Prior to white settlement, Australia was much more forested, and so on the mainland Wedgies would have occupied habitats ranging from deserts, woodlands, through to forests, and everything in-between. Tasmania was always slightly more forested, and the Tasmanian Wedgie (audax fleayi) is mainly a woodland /forest eagle - certainly for nesting, and perhaps counter-intuitively, larger than the mainland species (this may be a latitude resultant, moreso than habitat type). Both adapted to successfully hunt up to quite large prey, in the environments they found themselves in.
Similarly, Goldies span longitudes across the world, as well as widely varying latitudes, and elevations, and so have adapted to survive in the particular habitats they find themselves in - I don't think that you can concretely say that they are always open ranging, or forest eagles, or anything else - it all depends. About all we can say with certainty (based on genetics) is that the don't exhibt the extreme adaptations of the true (rain) /forest eagles (Harpy and Philippine).
I think it is perfectly natural for the Aquila's to hunt in forest. The footage I saw of one taking a Roe deer (sorry can't remember reference - it may have even been an Attenborough thing...), showed the Eagle ambush the deer, and pursue it in a combination of short flight bursts, running, and hopping about the forest undergrowth /floor, eventually taking what is a fairly agile, and large, prey animal in that environment.
Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagles were also recently noted (sorry can't remember that reference either) as adopting ambush behaviour and perches along game trails leading to watering holes along dense riparian vegetation, waiting for Macropod prey. All in all, pretty standard I reckon in that environment ....
Chosun :gh:
