Bonelli's eagle

Bonelli's eagles in general form appear to have a medium-sized head on a fairly long neck, a strong bill, a mid-to-longish tail and exceptionally long and well feathered legs. The combination of its well-proportioned, stout body and elongated legs may lend to descriptions of the species as "athletic" in appearance. This eagle often perches with a very upright carriage, at times openly on a rock, a crag, tree branches or some form of post but also in the foliage of tree cover, especially when actively hunting. When perched, the wing tips tend to fall a bit short of the tail tip.

Distribution and habitat

Bonelli's eagle have a spotty and sparse worldwide distribution currently. The species is distributed in northwestern Africa from the Anti-Atlas in Morocco northeasterly through the lower parts of the Atlas mountains in northern Algeria and northern Tunisia. Beyond its African breeding range, the IUCN and others have mapped out a semi-regular wintering range for Bonelli's eagles, in coastal west Africa from southern Morocco down through Western Sahara, Mauritania and northwestern Senegal, although little more is reportedly known about this population and its origins and altogether the species is considered largely non-migratory. Additionally, the species has been recorded as a vagrant in east Africa in Somalia as well.

The Bonelli's eagle tends to dwell in similar habitat types across its range and lives in lands hugging large bodies of water, largely the Mediterranean Sea and northern Indian Ocean. To a lesser extent, it lives near the coast of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and near the Caspian Sea. Despite often being near seas and oceans it mostly occurs in fairly arid habitats and in quite sunny areas.

Hunting

Their diet includes a range of animals, from birds such as pigeons, partridges, crows, ducks, gulls, and even large herons, to lizards and small mammals including rats and bats. They rarely eat carrion. Bonelli’s Eagles hunt by watching for prey from a perch, quartering hills and flat ground, or by swooping down from the air. Most of their food is taken on the ground, but they can catch birds midflight. They have a long hind claw and powerful feet, which enables them to take relatively large prey for their size.

Conservation status

A major threat to Bonelli’s Eagles is electrocution, since 50% of Bonelli’s Eagle deaths were due to electrocution in Spain; 47% in France. They sometimes kill domestic and homing pigeons, in addition to being viewed as a threat to wild game, and are illegally poisoned or shot. Their habitat is being destroyed due to development, roads, and forest plantations. Human activity has also caused breeding failure and the birds to abandon their territories.