- Aquila rapax
Identification
60–75 cm (23½-29½ in)
Tawny upperparts and blackish flight feathers and tail. The lower back is very pale.
Tawny Eagle has nostrils on a diagonal that is almost vertical, and the gape goes back only to mid eye.
Similar species
Wahlberg's Eagle and Steppe Eagle
Distribution
Photo by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, December-2017
Africa. Widespread and common in sub-Saharan Africa breeding from southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya south to eastern South Africa. Also breeds within the Western Palearctic in Morocco and a small area of northern Algeria. Formerly also bred in Tunisia. Locally also in India, Pakistan and southern Nepal.
Mainly resident but has occurred further north in Morocco and as a vagrant elsewhere in North Africa east to Egypt and exceptionally also recorded in Israel. In Europe recorded in Spain and Sardinia.
Taxonomy
Considered conspecific with Steppe Eagle A. nipalensis by some authors.
Subspecies
Three subspecies recognized[1]:
- A. r. cirtensis in North Africa
- A. r. rapax in Africa south of the Sahara
- A. r. vindhiana in Pakistan, India and Nepal
Vindhiana is sometimes included in Steppe Eagle or accepted as full species.
Habitat
Semi-arid Acacia savanna, and also semi-desert, and steppes.
Behaviour
Breeding
It lays 1–3 eggs in a stick nest in a small trees, crags, rocks and ruins, or on the ground.
Diet
The diet includes largely fresh carrion; it will kill small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, reptiles and birds up to the size of guineafowl. It will also steal food from other raptors.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Sinclair et al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-09682-1
- Birdforum thread discussing nostril characters
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Tawny Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Tawny_Eagle
External Links
