Aquila audax
Silhouette: Gabriela Palomo-Munoz · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is the largest bird of prey in the continent of Australia. It is also found in southern New Guinea to the north and is distributed as far south as the state of Tasmania. Adults of the species have long, broad wings, fully feathered legs, an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail, an elongated upper mandible, a strong beak and powerful feet. The wedge-tailed eagle is one of 12 species of large, predominantly dark-coloured booted eagles in the genus Aquila found worldwide. Genetic research has clearly indicated that the wedge-tailed eagle is fairly closely related to other, generally large members of the Aquila genus. A large brown-to-black bird of prey, it has a maximum reported wingspan of 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) and a length of up to 1.06 m (3 ft 6 in).
The wedge-tailed eagle is one of its native continent's most generalised birds of prey. They reside in most habitats present in Australia, ranging from desert and semi-desert to plains to mountainous areas to forest, even sometimes tropical rainforests. Preferred habitats, however, tend towards those that have a fairly varied topography including rocky areas, some open terrain and native woodlots such as Eucalyptus stands.
The wedge-tailed eagle is one of the world's most powerful avian predators. Although a true generalist, which hunts a wide range of prey, including birds, reptiles and, rarely, other taxa, the species is, by and large, a mammal predator. The introduction of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been a boon to the wedge-tailed eagle and they hunt these and other invasive species in large volume, although the wedge-tailed eagle otherwise generally lives on marsupials, including many surprisingly large macropods. Additionally, wedge-tailed eagles often eat carrion, especially while young. The species tends to pair for several years, possibly mating for life.
Wedge-tailed eagles usually construct a large stick nest in an ample tree, normally the largest in a stand, and lay one to four eggs, though typically only two. Usually, breeding efforts manage to produce one or two fledglings which, after a few months more, tend to disperse widely. Nesting failures are usually attributable to human interference, such as logging activity and other alterations, which both degrade habitats and cause disturbances. Wikipedia →
Begging call0:08
Australia · 2014
© Nigel Jackett · XC184703 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Call0:08
Australia · 2020
© Marc Anderson · XC679527 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:06
Australia · 2026
© rhenaravanderhaar · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 20 | Booderee National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 21 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Melbourne Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Phillip Island Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Gorge Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Symbio Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Tralaga Wildlife park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Rockhampton Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 15 | Ipswich Nature Centre | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 16 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 18 | Trowunna Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wedge-tailed Eagle sighting in Perth on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 141st most-seen of the 162 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wedge-tailed Eagle in Perth on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wedge-tailed Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Wedge-tailed Eagle sightings, Perth ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Hobart (Australia, under 5%), Melbourne (Australia, under 5%) and Brisbane (Australia, under 5%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Wedge-tailed Eagle that you can see in Perth (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Swamp Harrier (about 10%) and Whistling Kite (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wedge-tailed Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Perth (12 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
