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Wedge-tailed Hawkeye

(Aquila audax)

Spiralling gracefully upwards on a thermal updraft, a pair of magnificent wedge-tailed eagles corkscrews around each other in one of the virtually awesome displays in the Australian bush.

Imagine a bird with wingspan of over 2.3 metres—they are the largest bird of prey in Australia, and i of the largest eagles in the world!

'Wedgies' at Billabong Sanctuary had originally been housed in the 'Blechdome', a huge asylum designed and built for us in 2000 by two Dutch students, Jeroen Nyssen and Roel de Waal, working hither while they studied animal management.

Unfortunately it got smashed by Whirlwind Yasi, and the eagles were relocated.Since then, we were privileged to welcome Thunder, a young male who has since been donated to second Cav Regiment in Townsville every bit their official mascot, and Aurora, a beautiful female who has at present moved on to assistance educate the community in raptor awareness.

The aviary is being refurbished to house 2 whistling kites and a brahminy kite, coming soon!

What's in a Name?

The genus proper nounAquila comes from the Latin discussion for eagle. The species nameaudax means 'bold' in Latin. Thus the wedge-tailed eagle's scientific proper name translates to 'Assuming Hawkeye'.

What do they Look Similar?

In comparison to other birds of prey, its size and shape make the wedge-tailed eagle unmistakeable. The wingspan can reach more two.3 metres (about  7 1/2 feet)!

Females are slightly larger than males, and tin reach 105 cm in length (over forty in) and weigh up to 4 kg (nigh 9 lb)!

Adult wedge-tailed eagles are mostly very dark brownish-black, with paler brownish feathers on the nape of the cervix and on the fly coverts.
The tail is long and flares outwards before tapering to a wedge-shaped signal, and the long legs are feathered down to the base of operations of the toes.

Young birds are mid-brownish in colour, and darken progressively afterward almost 5 or half-dozen years of age. Adult males and females have similar plumage. The beak is pale pink to cream-coloured, and the anxiety are off-white.

This bird is more likely to exist seen in flying, soaring loftier on air currents. There you can recognize its distinctive silhouette, with upcurved wingtips, flight feathers stretched out like fingers, and that long wedge-shaped tail.

Where do they Live?

The wedge-tailed hawkeye is found all over mainland Australia, as well every bit on Tasmania and in southern Papua New Republic of guinea.

The Tasmanian eagle is a sub-species,Aquila audax fleayi. Information technology has lighter feathers on the nape of the neck, and longer talons than the mainland race (A audax audax).

Wedge-tailed eagles live in a variety of habitats, from the body of water coast to loftier alpine regions in the mountains. In general, they prefer open or wooded state, and avoid rainforest and coastal heaths.

They are frequently seen soaring high on thermals, at altitudes upwards to 2000 metres (6500 ft—well over a mile)!

What do they Eat?

You would expect such a huge, powerful bird to be a ferocious hunter. Although  non  as swift  as other birds of casualty such as falcons and sparrow hawks the wedge-tailed hawkeye is a powerful hunter.It will swoop downwardly onto a fleeing rabbit or wallaby and strike information technology with the enormous rear talon, killing it instantly.

From its vantage signal soaring high higher up open ground, it is also quick to spot freshly-killed animals, and carrion makes up a large role of its diet. Its big hooked bill is strong enough to rip open thick hides and break basic.

Wedge-tailed eagles consume a broad variety of mammals, lizards and birds, depending on their local abundance.

Mammals make upwards the greatest share of their diet, and rabbits are the most important live casualty taken. They will likewise eat possums, gliders, cats, dogs, piglets, kangaroos, wallabies, lambs, goats, calves and foxes.

Most of these animals are introduced species, brought to Australia past European settlers. That they make up such a big part of the hawkeye'south diet is an indication of its adaptability.

Reptiles over 40 gm in weight (over an ounce and a half) such as thorny devils, blue-tongue skinks and goannas are eaten.

Ground-foraging birds such as parrots, doves, and baby emus and bustards are also taken.

Wedge-tailed eagles will sometimes pack together to hunt down a large brute such as a wallaby. Information technology is this behaviour that earned them their Latin name, which means 'Bold Eagle'.

A Wedge-tailed eagle is capable of lifting and flying off with an animal upwards to 5 kg in weight (over 10 pounds) which is heavier than its ain body weight!

Breeding and Nesting

Wedge-tailed eagles mate for life. A pair volition establish a convenance territory, and defend it from other eagles, as well as other intruders- there are reports that they even attack helicopters or hang gliders! Beyond this area is their home range, where they hunt for food. The size of this area depends on the abundance of food species. The eagles do not actively defend this larger area, only annunciate their presence by gliding high overhead, soaring for upward to 90 minutes at a time.

The breeding flavour is heralded by astonishing acrobatic displays in flight. The male dives down towards the female, pulling out before he reaches her and zooming dorsum upwards with partially folded wings. She may turn on her back (in mid-air) and nowadays her claws to him, and they spiral upwardly together, screeching and calling. They will also perch side by side to each other and preen one some other as mating season approaches.

Within their territory, a pair may build several nests, which they use in rotation over the years. Normally these are built in the tallest copse within their territory. If trees are scarce they may also nest on cliffs.

The nest is a huge bowl of dead sticks and small branches, built into the fork of the tree. The tree has to be very strong, because the nest may weigh upwards to 400 kg (880 pounds)! As the nest is re-used and added to in successive years, information technology can attain over 2 metres in bore (over 6 ft) and be three metres deep (nearly ten feet!). The nest is lined with green leaves; both male and female eagles regularly add together fresh leaves throughout the breeding season.

Eggs are laid from June to about August in the south and from April to September in the n. The female lays from ane to 3 eggs, but commonly 2. They are white to pale vitrify-grey, splotched with regal and brown, rounded to oval in shape, and about 75 x 60 mm (iii x two.iii inches)—the size of a goose egg.

Raising the Young

Both male and female incubate the eggs, which hatch after most 43 days. The chicks are covered in fine white downwardly. Both parents collect food, only the male person ordinarily does nigh of the hunting. Prey animals are shredded and $.25 of meat poked into the chick'south mouth for the outset 5 weeks or and then. Subsequently this time the chicks can pick up food for themselves from the floor of the nest. Carrion is not fed to chicks.

Afterward nigh lxx to 88 days the chicks accept grown their juvenile feathers. They remain with their parents for nearly 3 months after leaving the nest. After this time they volition disperse to find a new home range. Some juveniles have been known to motility over 800 km from their nest site (over 500 miles)!

Wedge-tailed eagles do not reach sexual maturity until they are 5 or 6 years of historic period. They may live for upward to 40 years!

Status in the Wild

Early in the 20th century, it was thought that wedge-tailed eagles were killing big numbers of sheep and lambs. Bounty money was offered for their destruction, and huge numbers were poisoned or shot right up till the 1970's. In 1 year in Queensland lonely over 10 000 bounties were paid.

It was later realized that eagles were mostly feeding on feces, or taking merely lambs in poor condition, and in fact were not harming the sheep industry at all. At present they are protected in all states past the National Parks and Wildlife Human activity.

In some ways wedge-tailed eagles have benefited from European settlement. Rabbits were introduced, and became an important food source, along with other domestic animals and livestock. To some extent, clearing of forests has opened upward new hunting areas. Eagles have learned to exploit the carcasses of route-killed animals that litter Outback highways.

Only continued tree-clearing will lead to loss of nesting sites, especially in arid areas. If people disturb a nest, the eagles may carelessness it for that year.

Indirect poisoning from dingo baits and pesticides is an on-going problem. Eagles themselves have become the victims of highway traffic, every bit large numbers are now existence killed equally they feed on dead animals by the road.

Nonetheless, at this time wedge-tailed eagles in mainland Australia are not considered to be threatened.

Generations to come volition continue to be moved by the stirring sight of these huge, regal birds soaring high higher up the landscape.

It is a different story in Tasmania, where the subspecies is considered to be critically endangered. There are less than chiliad birds remaining. Biologists have identified nigh 220 nesting territories, where it is estimated every bit few as 80 pairs of eagles are successfully breeding each yr.

At that place has been a dramatic loss of habitat because of clearing of old-growth eucalyptus forests. Most nests are at present found on private land or in Land forests, and are therefore subject to frequent disturbance. Wedge-tailed eagles volition abandon a nest if disturbed during the breeding season. Stock owners keep to illegally kill eagles by shooting, trapping and poisoning.

A Recovery Plan has been put into place by the Tasmanian government. In that location are 2 main objectives: to place nesting sites and then that they can exist protected from further forest clearing, and to educate landowners and enlist their support in conservation of wedge-tailed eagles.

If the plan does not succeed, the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle may not survive in the wild. What a pitiful loss that would exist.

Source: https://www.billabongsanctuary.com.au/wedge-tailed-eagle/

Posted by: smithdonvorged.blogspot.com

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