The Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) is a distinctive Australian bird that can often be identified by a combination of plumage, shape, behaviour and voice. Australia's largest bird of prey, with very long broad wings, dark brown plumage and a characteristic long wedge-shaped tail. Older adults can appear almost black. Adults are typically about 81–106 cm long, so size can be a useful clue when you compare the bird with nearby species.
How to identify a Wedge-tailed Eagle
Australia's largest bird of prey, with very long broad wings, dark brown plumage and a characteristic long wedge-shaped tail. Older adults can appear almost black. When you are trying to identify one in the field, start with overall size and body shape, then check the head pattern, bill, wing markings, tail and any unusually bright colours. Lighting can change how feathers look, so it is safer to use several features together rather than relying on one colour.
Wedge-tailed Eagles are expert soarers and may circle at great height for long periods. Pairs maintain extensive territories and are often seen together. Behaviour is often just as useful as plumage. A bird that repeatedly uses a particular feeding style, posture or flight pattern can be much easier to identify even when it is partly hidden or too far away for a perfect view.
Where does the Wedge-tailed Eagle live in Australia?
Occurs throughout mainland Australia and Tasmania, from forests and farmland to deserts and mountain country.
Typical habitat includes open woodland, grassland, pastoral country, arid landscapes and forest edges with large trees or cliffs nearby. The best places to look are areas that combine suitable food with safe roosting or nesting sites. Distribution can shift locally with rainfall, flowering, breeding seasons and food availability, so a species may be common in one district and much harder to find only a short distance away.
What does the Wedge-tailed Eagle eat?
Rabbits, carrion, small to medium mammals, reptiles and birds, with prey varying greatly by region. The exact menu can change with season and location. Wild birds generally do best when they can use natural food sources, so this guide describes normal feeding ecology rather than encouraging people to offer processed human food.
Watching how a bird feeds can also help with identification. Note whether it forages on the ground, probes mud, takes nectar from flowers, hunts from a perch, dives into water or catches insects in flight.
Behaviour and calls
Wedge-tailed Eagles are expert soarers and may circle at great height for long periods. Pairs maintain extensive territories and are often seen together.
They are relatively quiet but can give soft whistles and yelping calls around the nest. Learning even one characteristic call can be extremely helpful because many Australian birds are heard before they are seen. Calls can vary with alarm, courtship, contact between flock members and time of day, so use voice together with visual clues.
Nesting and breeding
Pairs build huge stick nests in tall trees or occasionally on cliffs, adding material over repeated breeding seasons. Breeding timing varies across Australia and can be influenced by latitude, rainfall and local conditions. If you find an active nest or dependent young, observe from a respectful distance so the adults can continue normal feeding and defence behaviour.
Similar birds
White-bellied Sea-Eagles have extensive white underparts and a shorter white tail. Brown Falcons and other falcons are dramatically smaller and differently proportioned. If you are unsure, compare bill shape, body proportions, eye colour, leg colour and voice as well as plumage. Photographs taken from different angles can be especially useful for checking difficult features after the sighting.
Quick identification tip
For a fast identification, remember three things: the bird is approximately 81–106 cm long; its key visual clue is australia's largest bird of prey, with very long broad wings, dark brown plumage and a characteristic long wedge-shaped tail. Older adults can appear almost black.; and its usual Australian setting is open woodland, grassland, pastoral country, arid landscapes and forest edges with large trees or cliffs nearby. Those three clues will usually narrow the options quickly before you compare similar species.
Sources and further reading
For additional Australian bird information, see BirdLife Australia bird profiles and the Australian Museum bird collection.
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