About the Eastern Imperial Eagle
The eastern imperial eagle is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South and East Asia. Like all eagles, the eastern imperial eagle is a member of the family Accipitridae. Furthermore, its feathered legs mark it as a member of the subfamily Aquilinae. It is a large, dark-colored eagle, with a resemblance to other members of the genus Aquila, but it is usually the darkest species in its range. It is an opportunistic predator that mostly selects smallish mammals as prey but also a fairly large proportion of birds, reptile and other prey types,…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The eastern imperial eagle is a large eagle, but usually falls near the average size of the large-bodied genus Aquila. Adult total length can range from 68 to 90 cm (27 to 35 in) with a typical wingspan of 1.76 to 2.2 m (5 ft 9 in to 7 ft 3 in). The average wingspan of a small sample showed males to average 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) while a small sample of females averaged 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in). Although otherwise outwardly similar, the species displays reverse sexual dimorphism as do most birds of prey, in which males are usually smaller than the females. Voice: The eastern imperial eagle is quite vocal on their breeding ground but tends to be silent or nearly so elsewhere. The main call of the species is a deep, harsh bark owk owk, gok gok or kraw-kraw. The call tends to be repeated rapidly up to 8-10 times. Their call is perceptibly deeper and harsher than that of the golden eagle, somewhat incongruously also being more resonant and commanding.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Eastern Imperial Eagle lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Netherlands, Portugal, Chad, Tajikistan, Moldova, Spain.
When to see the Eastern Imperial Eagle
Peak activity in December · a winter visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Verreaux's EagleAquila verreauxiiVerreaux's eagle is a very large eagle.
Spanish Imperial EagleAquila adalbertiThis is a large raptor and quite large eagle, broadly similar in size to its cousin, the eastern imperial eagle, which is found in a considerably different distributional range.
African Hawk-EagleAquila spilogasterThe African hawk-eagle has a somewhat small head but one that protrudes quite well due its quite long neck and relatively prominent beak.
Learn the Eastern Imperial Eagle in BeakBrain
Photo and call practice, free in any browser.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.