Wedge-tailed Eagle

Aquila audax

Other Names: Wedge-Tail Eagle
Family: Accipitridae (Osprey, Hawks, Eagles, 18 species in Australia)
Size: F 89-104 cm, M 87-91 cm, wingspan 210 cm approx
Distribution: Most of Australia except some of Western WA
Status: Common
Habitat: Most types except closed forest. It eats carrion (dead animals) and is often seen along roadsides. Soars high on long, fingered, upswept wings
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey.

Wedge-tailed Eagle - Aquila audax
Photo: Australia Zoo, QLD

Wedge-tailed Eagle - Aquila audax
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (2456 x 1843)

Wedge-tailed Eagle - Aquila audax
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (3008 x 2000)

Wedge-tailed Eagle - Aquila audax
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight. This is the other of the two best bird field guides for Australia. It is the one preferred by many serious birdwatchers. However I find the pictures a bit dull looking for my taste — the birds all kind of look the same to me, making it harder to remember them in my mind. The illustrations are meant to be the most anatomically correct, though. The text descriptions are better than in Simpson and Day. If you want the most serious bird field guide get this one otherwise get Simpson and Day.

Purchase 9th ed. from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase 9th ed. from Australia (Angus & Robertson)

Click here to purchase 9th ed. from Australia (The Nile)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)

Click here to preorder the 9th ed. from Amazon

Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds, Peter Slater, Pat Slater and Raoul Slater. This is a smaller field guide, and its advantage is it is easy to carry around. Its size is 21.3 x 11.4 x 2.8 centimetres, or 8.4 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches in the old scale. So it is a good one to get if you want to have your field guide with you out in the field. Unlike most of the field guides it also has illustrations of the eggs of all the birds that breed in Australia. It has very good reviews on Amazon.

Click here to Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)

Click here to purchase from Australia (The Nile) $28.45 AUD (May be unavailable)

Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond) May be expensive.

Click here to purchase from Amazon

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