Aquila heliaca
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) 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, including carrion. Compared to other Aquila eagles, it has a strong preference for the interface of tall woods with plains and other open, relatively flat habitats, including the wooded mosaics of the steppe. Normally, nests are located in large, mature trees and the parents raise around one or two fledglings. The global population is small and declining due to persecution, loss of habitat and prey. It has therefore been IUCN Red Listed as Vulnerable since 1994.
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Begging call0:14
Hungary · 2020
© Jarek Matusiak · XC608539 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Espace Rambouillet | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 4 | Szeged Zoo | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Kyiv Zoo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Târgu Mureș Zoo | 🇷🇴 Romania | |
| 7 | Almaty Zoo | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 8 | Stara Zagora Zoo | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | |
| 9 | Belgrade Zoo | 🇷🇸 Serbia | |
| 10 | Les Aigles du Léman | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Medenychi Zoo Limpopo | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 13 | Вольерное хозяйство «Теремок» | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 14 | Ивановский зоопарк | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 15 | Zoo Samara | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 16 | Тюменский зоопарк | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 17 | Volerie des aigles | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | Bird Park | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 19 | Le centre de soins des rapaces Espace Rambouillet | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 20 | Papilonia Brno | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 21 | Parque Cóndor | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Imperial Eagle sighting in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 76th most-seen of the 202 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Imperial Eagle in Hortobágy National Park on a given day, against about 10% in April, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Imperial Eagle sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Imperial Eagle sightings, Hortobágy National Park ranks 4th at about 30%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%), Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Keoladeo National Park (India, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Imperial Eagle is recorded against all the birds logged in Hortobágy National Park (169 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
