The wedge-tailed eagle is one of the world's most powerful avian predators. Due to its formidable and dominating nature, it is sometimes nicknamed “King of Birds”, along with golden eagles.  Prey is usually grabbed via a pounce or snatch during a gliding flight or a tail-chase from low quartering or transect flights. Prey is not infrequently spotted from a soaring flight and they may undertake a long, slanting stoop towards it. They may be able to spot prey from farther than a kilometer given their keen vision. Its typical hunting style is not all-together dissimilar from that of golden or Verreaux's eagles. Occasionally, a wedge-tailed eagle still hunts from a perch. Unsuccessful hunts typically exceed in number successful ones. Hunting habitat can be highly variably and can manage to capture prey in both open country and quite thick woodland or forest, though typically require an open understory in the latter. Almost all its prey is taken on the ground but to a lesser extent it may be taken from the tree canopy. They've been known to take birds such as currawongs and cockatoos by coming around them by surprise around a tree or by darting out in flight at close range for a brief tail-chase. Sometimes, an eagle may pull brushtail possums and other mammals from tree cavities, as well as young birds from a nest. They've been known to follow wildfires to search for fleeing animals or alternately tractors and other farm equipment for the same purpose. Wedge-tailed eagles occasionally pirate food from other predators. An eagle of the species can carry prey of at least 5 kg (11 lb).
Large animals may be attacked by pairs or, occasionally by groups, acting cooperatively. One record shows 15 wedge-tailed eagles hunting kangaroos, two at a time actively chasing then repeatedly being replaced by two more from the circling group overhead. Regardless of prey size and season, tandem hunts, mainly by breeding adult pairs or sometimes loosely associated young eagles, are not uncommon. Of 89 observed hunts in Central Australia around one-third were cooperative ones. As in other tandem hunting raptors, one eagle typically lies in wait generally unseen while the other eagle distracts and drives the prey towards it. When hunting domesticated prey, they've been seen to land near livestock mothers to intimidate them and separate their young, so they can attack the latter. Sometimes, wedge-tailed eagles may use fences to limit a prey's escape routes. In some cases, these eagles will attempt to force large prey such as kangaroos and dingos to fall off steep hillsides and injure themselves. At times, wedge-tailed eagles appear to hunt at earliest light or late twilight in order to come upon nocturnal prey such as hare-wallaby and bettongs. These eagles have been seen removing rabbits from traps and eating carrion in bright moonlight as well. At times, remarkably, wedge-tailed eagles have been covering large prey with vegetation, apparently to cache food too heavy to carry. Carrion is a major diet item, also; wedge-tails can spot the activity of ravens around a carcass from a great distance, and glide down to appropriate it. Carrion consumption is recorded in all season and contexts, although generally non-breeding birds are more likely to scavenge and young wedge-tailed eagles, even more so shortly post-dispersal, are thought to be far more likely to scavenge on carrion than adults generally. Wedge-tailed eagles are often seen by the roadside in rural Australia, feeding on animals that have been killed in collisions with vehicles. The importance of carrion relative to live prey has not been greatly studied but away from human development, especially roads, carrion is less likely to be encountered and eagles of all ages must presumably hunt to survive. In general, Australian accipitrids of many species not infrequently come to carrion and they along with large passerines like Corvus species and currawongs probably fulfill the niche that vultures do in other continents to some extent, albeit with considerably less specialization. Aggregations of wedge-tailed eagles may occur not infrequently at large carcasses, with up to 5–12 eagles or sometimes 20 gathering. A wedge-tailed eagle can gorge up to 1 to 1.5 kg (2.2 to 3.3 lb) at a sitting and, when fulfilled, can lasts for an unusual amount of time, for up to weeks or even a month, before needing to hunt again, apparently due to the warmth of the environment. After feeding they may disgorge a relatively small pellet, 29 to 98 mm (1.1 to 3.9 in) long by 20 to 50 mm (0.79 to 1.97 in) wide and weighing some 8.8 g (0.31 oz). Usually the diet is determined from a combination of reviewing these pellets along with loose prey remains.


The wedge-tailed eagle is a dietary generalist, opportunistically capturing a wide range of prey species. Its prey spectrum is quite broad, with well over 200 prey species documented to be taken and even this includes very few prey only from secondary accounts from Tasmania and New Guinea. The wedge-tailed eagles tends to prefer smallish to fairly large mammals as prey. However, they not infrequently take ample numbers of both birds and reptiles, along with scarcely other prey taxon. Out of 21 accrued dietary studies, 61.3% of prey items by number in the foods during nesting efforts were mammals, 21.6% were birds, 13.2% were reptiles, 2.1% by invertebrates, principally insects, 1.5% by fish, and almost no amphibians by number. Meanwhile, out of the 21, 13 studies calculated estimated biomass, and found that just shy of 90% of prey biomass was made of by mammals, 6.2% by birds and 3.4% by reptiles. Out of the Aquila genus, it is one of a few generalist species, however the wedge-tailed eagle is the Aquila most likely to typically attack the largest prey. Generally, this species prefers to attack birds and reptiles weighing over 100 g (3.5 oz) and mammals weighing over 500 g (1.1 lb), although prey taken at times has varied from a few grams to more than sixteen times the weight of an individual eagle. A comparison estimate posited that around 2% of wedge-tailed eagle prey weighs less than 63 g (2.2 oz), 4% of their prey weighs 63 to 125 g (2.2 to 4.4 oz), 7% of their prey weighs 125 to 250 g (4.4 to 8.8 oz), 10% weighs 250 to 500 g (8.8 to 17.6 oz), 20% weighs 500 to 1,000 g (1.1 to 2.2 lb), 25% weighs 1,000 to 2,000 g (2.2 to 4.4 lb), 18% weighs 2,000 to 4,000 g (4.4 to 8.8 lb) and 14% weighs over 4,000 g (8.8 lb). Projected from this comparison, the mean prey size for wedge-tailed eagles is estimated at 1,750 g (3.86 lb), similar but just slightly ahead of the Verreaux's eagle and some 14% ahead of the golden eagle global mean prey size. Further studies estimated mean prey weight, showing the mean prey weigh in the Canberra-Australian Capital Territory region in three different studies was estimated to be 1,298 g (2.862 lb), 2,131 g (4.698 lb) and 2,890 g (6.37 lb), changing likely due to the shifting significances of leporids and larger macropods. In a small study from Armidale, New South Wales, it was estimated that mean prey weight was 1,309 g (2.886 lb). It only ranks behind the crowned eagle and harpy eagle and rivals the martial eagle as the eagle likely to attack the largest prey on average.


While the introduction of invasive species to Australia has been generally having a negative to devastating effect on native animals and ecosystems, the wedge-tailed eagle is one of a few native species to largely benefit from these introductions. This is especially due to the introduction of the European rabbit, which were deliberately introduced repeatedly (abortively in 1859 and then via a concerted effect from 1937 to 1950), largely so the wealthy could hunt them. The wedge-tailed eagles quickly took to the rabbits as prey along with another introduced leporid, the European hare (Lepus europaeus). In almost every part of Australia, these eagles take rabbits in some numbers and they usually constitute the bulk of the prey species in most, if not all, Australian food studies. In some dietary studies rabbits have accounted for up to 89.2% of the diet by number and 86% by biomass, as in Bacchus Marsh, however they more typically range from 16% to 49% of the diet by number in various studies. One Canberra study found that 98.5% of the rabbits taken were adults. In the largest study near Canberra, over 5.5 years, 19.3% of the diet of wedge-tailed eagles was rabbits (12.7% of prey biomass) among 1421 prey items, so the eagles took a total of some 275 rabbits in the 11 to 17 studied territories of the area.  A study estimated that mean weight of wild rabbits in Australia was 1.4 kg (3.1 lb), lower than estimated in the past. However, other studies estimated the mean weights of rabbits taken by wedge-tailed eagles as variously from 1.5 to 2.2 kg (3.3 to 4.9 lb) or “usually over 1.65 kg (3.6 lb)”, infrequently reported to 2.47 kg (5.4 lb), size of the rabbits being perhaps limited the poorly-suited soil and environs of the Australian wildlands. Meanwhile, the European hare is neither as widely established nor as prolifically taken as rabbits by wedge-tailed eagles but are by no means neglected and a substantial meal. With a mean body mass of 4 kg (8.8 lb), hares have been as much as nearly 10% of the local diet and up to 14% of prey biomass in studies. Rabbit haemorrhagic disease was deliberately introduced to control the population of rabbits subsequent to 1995, followed more effectively by introduction of myxoma virus to limit the damage rabbits have inflicted on native vegetation and resultingly have competed native mammals like wallabies out of parts of their range. Ultimately, the rabbit population may have more than halved and locally have been some 90% reduced. As a matter of consensus, the wedge-tailed eagles do not appear to be adversely affected in major ways by the biological control of rabbits since they can revert to primarily taking native prey species quite readily. In the region of Broken Hill, White Cliffs and Cunnamulla, rabbits have gone down from accounting for 56–69% of the diet to 16–31% of it. Furthermore, wedge-tailed eagles have been known to successfully maintain population in the absence of any rabbits in a few areas.
Much more controversial at one time than hunting introduced rabbits and hares is the wedge-tailed eagle's occasional tendency to feed on and sometimes kill domesticated livestock animals. The predation of wedge-tailed eagles on young farm animals has been the primary historic driver for the persecution of the species. However, in no known study have domestic livestock been known to be primary prey. The closest association with them was in northwestern Queensland where lambs (Ovis aries) made up 32.7% of prey in pellets and 17.1% in remains, accounting for 15–21% of the prey biomass, while juvenile pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) made up 7.3% of pellet remains and 22% of the biomass. Although it can be highly difficult, attempts have been made at parsing out whether the eagles had indeed killed the lambs rather than just lifting or dismantling them after finding them dead, as this eagle quite readily comes to carrion. The findings were that of 29 diagnosable lamb deaths in northwest Queensland, only 34.5% were due to eagle attacks. The wedge-tailed eagle is at times capable of taking very substantial livestock animals, lambs taken have been estimated to weigh a mean of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) or up to 15 kg (33 lb) while fully grown sheep weighing some 40 to 50 kg (88 to 110 lb) are infrequently vulnerable, presumably in large part to hunting pairs of eagles. In the largest study of the Canberra area, 82.5% of diagnosable sheep specimens were adults but probably were by and large scavenged. Meanwhile, young pigs included in the diet were estimated to weigh around 14 kg (31 lb), and sometimes feral piglets are included in the diet. When attacking lambs, the wedge-tailed eagles are apparently capable of driving their talons into the skull of the victim, although more typically they land along the back and grip the lamb along the spine until it weakens and collapses while flapping the wings for balance. This species will also land between a ewe or female pig and their respective lambs or piglets in order to separate the latter for attack. Wedge-tailed eagles are also known to at times prey on another animal introduced for human hunting purposes, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which can form up to about 4% of an eagle's breeding diet and 5% of the biomass, weighing up to 9 kg (20 lb). In Canberra, about 59% of the foxes found in the diet were adults. Additionally, feral cats, mainly juveniles, can be part of their prey.
The primary native prey of wedge-tailed eagles is presumably marsupials, particularly macropods, which also lines up with studies where rabbits have declined or never occurred. Many wallabies, kangaroos and associated animals are included in the diet, with over 50 marsupials known in the species’ prey spectrum. When selecting marsupials, wedge-tailed eagles tend to ignore smaller species and focus on larger sized ones. However, they generally most often take alive the young, small and sickly of large macropod marsupials. Findings were that juvenile macropods were taken out of proportion to their numbers in the environment, unlike rabbits which were taken roughly in proportion to their abundance. Also they in recent times have regularly been known to come marsupials such as kangaroos that are roadkills (and are known to come introduced rabbits and foxes and livestock animals killed by cars as well). There is little evidence that macropods delivered to nests are usually roadkills or from carrion, the source of prey is difficult to determine because examinations are usually done after breeding is complete to minimize disturbance. Also attendance at carrion by wedge-tailed eagles is disproportionately done by juvenile eagles. In one study of roadkills in Australia, the species ranked around 4th by frequency and capacity for carcass breakdown of scavengers at roadkills, behind feral pigs, red foxes and ravens. A video surveillance study at the nest determined that seemingly freshly killed, albeit usually quite young macropods were delivered to nests near Broken Hill. As much as 20% to 30% of the diet can be made up of by macropods. Large and prominent species are known including the grey kangaroos and the red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus). Generally, juveniles are targeted of these large species with eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) estimated to weigh 17.2 to 20 kg (38 to 44 lb) when taken by wedge-tailed eagles, in Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales, while the weight of young western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) was said to be 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) in one study in Western Australia. The estimated weight of juvenile red kangaroos taken was 9 kg (20 lb) in northwestern Queensland where they were the primary prey species ahead of lambs. However, wedge-tailed eagles do not shy away from attacking large, adult macropods. They've been recorded attacking eastern grey kangaroos weighing over 35 kg (77 lb). In one case, a huge male eastern grey kangaroo, estimated to stand 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) was successfully dispatched by a pair of wedge-tailed eagles. Furthermore, an adult female western grey kangaroo was witnessed to be killed “in a few minutes” by a hunting pair of wedge-tailed eagles and the eagles are considered a serious predator of the western grey. Similarly large adult macropods killed by these eagles can include common wallaroos (Osphranter robustus) (mean adult weight around 25 kg (55 lb)), antilopine kangaroo (Osphranter antilopinus) (mean adult weight around 30 kg (66 lb)), agile wallaby (Notamacropus agilis) (median adult weight around 16.8 kg (37 lb)), black-striped wallaby (Notamacropus dorsalis) (median adult weight around 13 kg (29 lb)), red-necked wallaby (Notamacropus rufogriseus) estimated to weigh around 16 kg (35 lb) when taken, swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) (mean adult weight around 15 kg (33 lb)), and even red kangaroo adults. In some unusual cases, wedge-tailed eagle hunting parties can form whilst hunting red kangaroos, sometimes including up to 15 eagles (more loose, opportunistic aggregations than well-organized groups), but usually only a pair is sufficient to kill such prey. Normally, the eagles repeatedly attack the kangaroo, sinking their talons into the back or nape and then fly up, when the second eagle starts doing the same. In some cases as many as 123 attacks have been carried out against large kangaroo before they succumb. When attacking joeys, eagles in some cases may have intentionally gotten a mother kangaroo to dislodge its joey from its pouch in order to capture and fly off with the joey. In extreme cases, wedge-tailed eagles have killed kangaroos weighing approximately 60 kg (130 lb).
In addition, several smaller and more elusive macropods are taken including tree-kangaroos, hare-wallabies, nail-tail wallabies, rock-wallabies, dorcopsises and pademelons. Other marsupials are by no means neglected. In Shark Bay, hare-wallabies and bettongs seem to form the central part of the diet. Another dietary favorite is the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), weighing some 2.55 kg (5.6 lb), which was important supplemental prey in the Perth area and was the primary prey species on Kangaroo Island, at 33% of the diet there. Around Perth, other small, nocturnal marsupials were taken in some numbers including woylies (Bettongia penicillata) and southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus). The common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) was the second most prominent prey species in the diet near Melbourne, comprising 20.1% of the diet, with some numbers of common brushtails also taken there. Long-nosed bandicoots (Perameles nasuta) were regular supplemental prey in northeastern New South Wales. Other notable marsupials known to fall prey to wedge-tailed eagles include adults of the following: koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), quokkas (Setonix brachyurus), eastern (Dasyurus viverrinus), western (Dasyurus geoffroii) and tiger quolls (Dasyurus maculatus), Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii), bilbies, numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus), common wombats (Vombatus ursinus), southern greater gliders (Petauroides volans) and potoroos. Based on hunting data, wedge-tailed eagles are one of the only native predators left of large dasyuromorph carnivorous marsupials, and tend to take species like tiger quolls and Tasmanian devils, which are far from defenseless, in well-executed ambushes in forested areas.
With relative infrequency, other classes of mammals, beyond leporids and marsupials, may be taken opportunistically by wedge-tailed eagles. At least two species each of flying foxes and wattled bats are included in the prey spectrum. Occasionally, an eagle may take a monotreme including both the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Several species of rat are readily taken and even the house mouse (Mus musculus), likely the smallest mammalian prey known for wedge-tailed eagles at around 20 g (0.71 oz) in weight. Although rare, a dingo (Canis lupus dingo) may taken by a wedge-tailed eagle at times, mostly pups, or carrion but sometimes a pair of eagles can kill adults too. Beyond sheep, pigs and infrequently young goats (Capra hircus), other ungulate prey, entirely introduced by man into the Australasian region, is eaten exclusively as carrion so far as is known, including cattle (Bos primigenius taurus) (despite claims that these eagles have killed young calves, which is possible, they've only ever been witnessed feeding on afterbirths and not harming calves), Javan rusa (Rusa timorensis) in New Guinea and sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) in northern Victoria and swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in the Northern Territory. In one instance, a young girl was apparently subject to a brief attack by a wedge-tailed eagle, in what was likely an attempted act of predation, near her rural home but the attack was abandoned by the eagle. It has been noted that some different species of large eagles are thought to occasionally attack children as prey, though among extant species only the crowned eagle and martial eagle, both in Africa, are thought to have successfully carried out rare acts of predation on human children.


Birds take a clearly secondary position to mammals when importance and especially prey weight are concerned, however the wedge-tailed eagle has some fondness clearly for avian prey. With more than 100 prey species included in the prey spectrum, birds are the most diverse class of prey taken by these eagles. Generally, the predation of birds seems to be highly opportunistic and no one type of bird reliably dominates the eagle's diet. However certain species, probably due to their commonality in eagle territories and perhaps vulnerability through their own behaviour that seem to be taken most often. These consist of Corvus species, especially little (Corvus mellori) and Australian ravens (Corvus coronoides), weighing a mean between species of around 580 to 590 g (1.28 to 1.30 lb) when taken, 300 to 329 g (10.6 to 11.6 oz) Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen), 800 to 820 g (1.76 to 1.81 lb) Australian wood duck (Chenonetta jubata), 310 to 335 g (10.9 to 11.8 oz) galah (Eolophus roseicapilla), larger cockatoos and smaller parakeets and parrots. On Kangaroo Island, Australian and little ravens together comprised 19% of the diet. In Canberra, fairly prominent numbers of magpies, wood ducks, galahs and eastern (Platycercus eximius) and crimson rosellas (Platycercus elegans) are known to be taken, these collectively forming up to about 25% of the diet by number. In the Perth region, birds were taken amply, especially the Australian raven at 12.6% of prey remains and 4.7% of the biomass, with birds comprising just shy of 25% of the diet. Elsewhere in Western Australia, a similar percentage of the diet is made up of by birds, mostly the same species with some number of Australian ringnecks (Barnardius zonarius) and Baudin's black cockatoos (Zanda baudinii) as well. Peculiarly, one study found that among a large sample of 1826 prey items in the Northern Territory that the most often identified prey species was the tiny budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), at 29 g (1.0 oz) one of the smallest avian prey species for this eagle. In a single study, birds comprised the majority of prey for wedge-tailed eagles, at 62.5%, mostly Corvus followed by wood duck, galah and magpies. Other assorted avian prey include several species of waterfowl, including several ducks as well as swans and geese, and a fairly strong frequency of attacks on large rails, such as swamphens, moorhens, native-hens and coots.
Additionally, wedge-tailed eagles may take Australian brush turkeys (Alectura lathami) and malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), quail, pigeons and doves, frogmouths and owlet-nightjars, cuckoos, buttonquails, stilts, lapwings, plains-wanderers (Pedionomus torquatus), thick-knees, gulls, petrels, cormorants, herons, ibises and spoonbills, cranes, other birds of prey, kingfishers, honeyeaters, quail-thrushes, whistlers, monarch flycatchers, mudnesters, artamids, true thrushes, grass warblers, starlings and pipits. The smallest avian prey attributed to wedge-tailed eagles is the 10 g (0.35 oz) zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata). Particularly large birds are sometimes taken of a few species. When it comes to the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Australia's tallest and second heaviest bird, wedge-tailed eagles normally attack the small young but are capable of attacking adult emus more than 10 times their own weight. Two estimates estimated the typical body mass of emus attacked were merely 2.42 and 3.32 kg (5.3 and 7.3 lb), respectively, against an average of 34 kg (75 lb) for adult emu. As much as 4% of the diet of wedge-tailed eagles can be comprised of by emu chicks. Some Australia's largest flying birds are also included in the wedge-tailed eagle's prey spectrum. These include the black swan (Cygnus atratus), estimated to weigh 5 kg (11 lb) when taken, black-necked stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus), which weighs at least 4.1 kg (9.0 lb), and brolga (Antigone rubicunda), arguably Australia's largest resident flying species of bird at a mean of 6.23 kg (13.7 lb). An unusually close feeding association with a very large bird is with the Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) in northwestern Queensland, where bustards were found to comprise 13.4% of the pellet contents and 23% of prey biomass. This study calculated the mean weight of bustards taken as 8.97 kg (19.8 lb), indicating that the eagles were selectively predating the much larger male bustards.


When selecting reptiles as prey, wedge-tailed eagles by far are most likely to pursue lizards. The range of lizards they may prey upon is highly diverse in size and nature, with somewhere between 20 and 30 species known in the prey spectrum. The most preferred reptilian prey by far is bearded dragons. Despite the small size of this prey relative to most mammalian prey, they can be key to survivorship in more arid vicinities such as central and western Australia where there is less diverse prey to pick from. In video monitored prey deliveries at Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) dominated the prey composition, making up 68.2% of 110 prey deliveries and the only known instance of reptiles forming the bulk of wedge-tailed eagles diets. A different study from prey remains and pellets found the central bearded dragon to comprise 28.6% of the diet among 192 prey items. In south-central Queensland, the bearded dragon was the leading prey species by number, making up 26.9% of 729 prey items. In northeastern New South Wales, the eastern bearded dragon (Pogona barbata) was the second most numerous prey species behind the rabbit, at 16.6% of the diet. The bearded dragons when taken by wedge-tailed eagles have had an estimated body mass ranging from 80 to 320 g (2.8 to 11.3 oz). They also prey on jacky dragons. Larger lizards are readily taken as well given the opportunity. Skinks are occasional supplemental prey, common blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua scincoides) at around 500 g (1.1 lb) can make up around 5% of the diet (in northeast New South Wales), while the 204 g (7.2 oz) Centralian blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua multifasciata) was quite prominent in the diet in the Northern Territory. In Western Australia, 617 g (1.360 lb) shingleback skink (Tiliqua rugosa) and somewhat smaller western blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua occipitalis) collectively comprised about 7.5% of the diet. Much bigger lizards are sometimes taken, namely monitor lizards. Around 20% of the 231 prey items of in a Western Australian study was found to be monitor lizards, mostly 2.32 kg (5.1 lb) yellow-spotted monitors (Varanus panoptes) with some 821 g (1.810 lb) sand goannas (Varanus gouldii). Adult rosenberg's monitors (Varanus rosenbergi), weighing around 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) can be also taken. Even lace monitors (Varanus varius), which weighs 6.3 kg (14 lb) on average adults, can sometimes taken by wedge-tailed eagles. Contrarily, lizards down to the size of a 20 g (0.71 oz) pygmy spiny-tailed skink (Egernia depressa) and a 38 g (1.3 oz) thorny devil (Moloch horridus) may be taken.
Beyond lizards, wedge-tailed eagles seldom seem to hunt other types of reptiles. They hunt a few species of snakes, mostly venomous species as these are prevalent in Australia. Snakes known to be included in the diet including tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus), eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), ringed brown snake (Pseudonaja modesta), bandy-bandy (Vermicella annulata), yellow-faced whipsnake (Demansia psammophis), red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) and brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis). Eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) have been claimed as prey in one report although any other confirmed cases of predation on turtles by this species are not known. Notably, there are no reports of wedge-tailed eagles attacking pythons despite several species being present in Australia nor on crocodiles and perhaps these are the only predators too formidable to be attacked, both of these reptiles can attain extremely large sizes. Predation on frogs or other amphibians is almost unheard of for wedge-tailed eagles, however, based on toxicity reports in eagles, they may consume invasive cane toads (Rhinella marina) from time to time. Similarly rare in the species’ diet is fish, although common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and western blue groper (Achoerodus gouldii) have been documented as prey. Occasionally, wedge-tailed eagles may even attack insects such as Psaltoda moerens cicadas and Heteronychus arator beetles. Truly exceptional is in the Northern Territory, where a large percentage of 1826 prey items was made up of by insects including unidentified Orthoptera, at about 10.8% of the diet, unidentified beetles, at about 8.4%, as well as some numbers of ants. Why and how they capture a profusion of insects locally is not clear, and they may be often from the stomachs of other prey or even byproduct from the captures of other prey or from the bodies of carcasses.


The wedge-tailed eagle occupies a fairly unique niche relative to other Aquila. While primarily continental in distribution, it is distributed well apart from most related species, whereas most Aquila are distributed in Eurasia or Africa and face considerable competition over resources, enabling certain specializations of most species in habitat or microhabitat, morphology and behaviours and often life history, including nesting grounds and often foods.  The wedge-tailed eagle has the ability to exploit a more catholic variation of both prey and habitat since it exists with relatively fewer competing species. The most considerable potential competition comes in the two other eagles regularly distributed in Australia, the little eagle and white-bellied sea eagle. The little eagle has a few ecological similarities to the wedge-tailed eagle. It is also something of a habitat generalist, although it is found somewhat scarcely in more arid vicinity, high elevation areas and varied semi-open forest than the wedge-tailed eagle. Like the wedge-tailed eagle, the little eagle has in recent decades become a somewhat specialized predator of European rabbits. However, the size difference is extreme between the wedge-tailed and little eagles, with the earlier over four times heavier than the latter, and the little eagle as expected exploits a lower trophic level relative to its more powerful competitor. As in other areas where booted eagles and sea eagles have abutting ranges, sometimes wedge-tailed eagles compete with white-bellied sea eagles. One key difference from elsewhere where competition sometimes occurs such as the golden eagle with the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Eurasia and the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in North America, both of which are slightly heavier than the golden, is that the white-bellied sea eagle is the slightly smaller species than the wedge-tailed eagle, potentially giving the latter a more pronounced competitive edge. However, the white-bellied sea eagle clearly does not shy away from contentious border disputes with wedge-tailed eagles and the two species can often be seen be seen readily attacking each other, occasionally in talon grappling and sometimes cartwheeling attacks on one another. However, the ecological effect of interspecific competition of the two species is not clear. Although the wedge-tailed eagle is considered the dominant species of the two, they clearly do not take the presence of white-bellied sea eagles lightly and some authors feel they may avoid nesting near them. Clearly there is ample partitioning between the wedge-tailed and white-bellied sea eagles, the latter adapted to mostly open wetlands and coasts and, while also a dietary generalist, they tend to derive most of their diet from fish, water birds and other wetland-dwelling prey, and they seldom compete directly for prey such as mammals with wedge-tailed eagles.
Most other diurnal raptors that reside in Australia are considerably smaller and seldom can be said to present great competition to the wedge-tailed eagles, although some such as swamp harriers (Circus approximans), black-breasted kites and grey goshawks (Accipiter novaehollandiae) are relatively large for their taxon and powerful predators in their own rights. In one instance, a square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura) was observed to engage in an apparent territorial fight with a wedge-tailed eagle, including talon-grappling. When it comes to carrion, wedge-tailed eagles tend to dominate other predators, especially most birds, with most kites, other assorted raptors and some large passerine birds, mainly Corvus species and butcherbirds, coming to dead animals including roadkills. However, heavier terrestrial meat-eaters can hold their own at times against wedge-tailed eagles, namely red foxes, dingos, monitor lizards and Tasmanian devils, despite all these species sometimes turning up as prey of these eagles as well. Sometimes the wedge-tailed eagle will readily rob various other raptors of their prey, including little eagles, white-bellied sea eagles and brown falcons (Falco berigora). Wedge-tailed eagles will opportunistically prey on other birds of prey. They share this aptitude they share with other large eagles in different parts of the world such as golden eagles, although such acts are relatively infrequent, it is clear that the wedge-tailed eagle is considered a primary threat by many raptors based on witnessed attacks by eagles on them and the mobbing behaviour of other raptors. Among the other birds of prey known to occasionally fall prey to these eagles are little eagles, collared sparrowhawks (Accipiter cirrocephalus), grey goshawks, brown goshawks (Accipiter fasciatus), Pacific bazas (Aviceda subcristata), black-breasted buzzards, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), Australian hobbys (Falco longipennis), black falcons (Falco subniger), brown falcons and Nankeen kestrels (Falco cenchroides). Occasionally owls are also included in the prey spectrum when an opportunity arises, including barn owls (Tyto alba), southern boobooks (Ninox boobook) and even powerful owls (Ninox strenua). Wedge-tailed eagles are apex predators and have no well-documented predators, although presumably they have some nest predators, likely including ravens and currawongs, especially when displaced by human disturbance from their nests. Occasionally, these eagles may possibly risk injury or death in conflicts against other powerful predators and scavengers, such as dingos, quolls, Tasmanian devils, goannas and snakes, but no such verified instances seem to be known in literature, and man is considered to be the wedge-tailed eagle's only true predator. Occasionally they may be injured and even killed via intra- and interspecies territorial conflicts and mobbing by other birds of prey, especially stooping peregrine falcons which have successfully knocked wedge-tailed eagles out of the sky, with a force known to kill both golden and bald eagles in other parts of the world. Due to the formidable aerial attack of the peregrine, it may be the only raptor besides the white-bellied sea eagle that wedge-tailed eagles may avoid nesting near. Most of the large falcons, including peregrine, brown and black falcons, and at times large owls nest in unused or abandoned wedge-tailed eagle nests.


The breeding season is from July to December through much of range, in New Guinea apparently from May on. They have a distinct tendency that lay earlier in the more northerly part of the range. For instance, in northeastern Australia laying has been recorded in January and February and in Tasmania in September. In western Australia, breeding depends on food and during drought periods there may be no nesting for up to 4 years. Adult wedge-tailed eagles are usually solitary or occur in pairs but immatures are more gregarious. 10–15 May rest or soar together or even hunt together and up to 40 recorded at carcasses. Mated adults perform mutual soaring, undulating dives, and tandem flights with rolling and foot-touching. The female may appear to ignore or more often turn over and present claws when a male is displaying. As possibly part of courtship feedings on pairs have taken place away from the nest and sharing of a cache of food may occur. Allopreening occurs occasionally between pairs but is seldom observed, although at times has been considered a “regular” part of the courtship process. Contrary to historical accounts, wedge-tailed eagles seldom engage in an elaborate courtship display and will instead generally try to conserve energy, instead devoting their energy for the upcoming trying breeding season along with territorial exclusions of conspecifics and obtaining food. Mating tends to occur on a bare branch or dead tree in the nest area, and may continue into the nestling period. Contrary to old accounts, the species does not mate in flight. In the pre-laying phase, mating was recorded to be preceded or accompanied by loud, slow yelping, but in the nestling period, the pair alighted together and the male mounted without preliminaries and a silent copulation lasted for one minute.


Territories are established with aerial displays, which can include high circling by one or both of pair, sometimes interspersed with flight rolls and talon presenting. Most of the time, wedge-tailed eagles typically respect pair boundaries and can limit territorial behaviour to mild aerial flights, with the intruders usually giving the ground to incumbents. Violence is usually avoided but sometimes the most heated territorial disputes can escalate to deaths. Sometimes the displaying eagle may engage in a steep dive on part closed wings followed by an upwards swoop, later may escalate into spectacular sky dance with undulations; they may too loop-the-loop. Cartwheeling is typically rare but in one case, three immatures mock dived at each other, two birds interlocked and cartwheeled several times before breaking away. No cartwheeling or talon grappling has been reported between members of a mated pair, but occasionally reported as used against intruding eagles. Aerial displays may go on for a while normally early in the breeding season, between 3 months and 3 weeks prior to egg laying. Territorial attacks by male wedge-tailed eagles may be against any encountered intruding eagles, including both male and female intruders, while female eagles engage in less territorial attacks and when they do, it is exclusively against other females. Territorial aggression can extend towards hang gliders and aircraft, advances noisily, bill open and talons extended until flying just above and behind or slightly ahead of pilot then swoops repeatedly after making contact with the hang-glider. A core of some 1 km (0.62 mi) radius around the nest is most fervently defended. Foraging ranges from nest may be up to about 20 km² (7.7 sq mi). Foraging ranges on breeding home ranges may be around 50 km² (19 sq mi) for males and 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) for females in arid central western Australia. Range sizes of pair members vary greatly based on topography, habitat and prey access. Several reported densities of 3–6 pairs per 100 km² (39 sq mi), others of 7–12 pairs per 100 km² (39 sq mi). When rabbits were in plague type numbers, pairs may nest as close 700 m (2,300 ft) apart and 4 others no more than 2 km (1.2 mi) from those two pairs. In semi-arid areas of New South Wales near Menindee densities were found to be about a pair per 53 km² (20 sq mi), 10–12 pairs in good years, 3 in drought years. Not far from that in Mutawintji National Park density was around a pair per 3 to 9 km² (1.2 to 3.5 sq mi). Much higher densities in this semi-arid zone of western New South Wales, with a pair per 3 to 9 km² (1.2 to 3.5 sq mi), against around a pair per 40 to 48 km² (15 to 19 sq mi) in other arid zones. In Western Australia, arid areas had a nearest neighbor distance of 5.32 km (3.31 mi) while those nesting in mesic areas had a distance of 4.88 km (3.03 mi). At Fowlers Gap, there were 9–10 pairs per 390 km² (150 sq mi). Near Canberra, around 37 pairs were reported in an area of 1,000 km² (390 sq mi), including some unusually as close as 130 m (430 ft) to paved roads and as close as 260 m (850 ft) from suburban spots. This contrasts strongly with 36 years prior, when few nests were near human-altered areas and the amount of pairs in the same area was about 32. In the Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia during the early to mid 2000s, there was a pair per 53 km² (20 sq mi), active nest sites were 6.6 km (4.1 mi) apart, while the average home range around the nest is 34 km² (13 sq mi) roughly. Resurvey efforts a dozen years later in Fleurieu Peninsula found a more populous population, resulting in a home range estimated at 32.1 km² (12.4 sq mi) with some active nests as close as 1.5 km (0.93 mi) apart. In the Perth area, it was projected that the mean home range was about 36 km² (14 sq mi). Meanwhile, in southern Victoria the nearest neighbor distance of breeding pairs was 4.7 km (2.9 mi) while mean territory size was calculated at 17.6 km² (6.8 sq mi).


Both sexes may participate in building the nest but the female takes the greater share, often standing in the middle and building outwards. Often wedge-tailed eagles build alternative nest, up to 2 to 3 per territory, though when undisturbed uses the same general site repeatedly. In Tasmania, territories held a mean of 1.4 nests. The nest is usually either substantial or massive. The nest is a structure of sticks ranging 70 to 100 cm (2.3 to 3.3 ft) across and 30 to 80 cm (12 to 31 in) deep when first build but with repeated additions up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) across and nearly 4 m (13 ft) deep. The interior nest cup is commonly around 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in) across about 10 cm (3.9 in) deep. Four studies found the diameter of nests to average from as little as 1.1 m (3.6 ft) and as much as 1.9 m (6.2 ft) and in depth from as little as 1 m (3.3 ft) to as much as 1.3 m (4.3 ft). Generally speaking in woodland or forest edge areas, nests tend to be larger, while those in sparser, more arid areas tend to have characteristically smaller nests, as they have lesser access to nest building materials. Good sized nests can weigh well over 400 kg (880 lb). Nests are usually lined with green leaves and twigs, a common practice in accipitrids. Infrequently, they may use an old nest built by another accipitrid, namely whistling kites (Haliastur sphenurus) and white-bellied sea eagles, with the earlier's nests apparently added to in order to enlargen it. Ideally the nest is located at 12 to 30 m (39 to 98 ft) above the ground on a lateral branch or main fork of lone or forest tree; in taller trees, nests can be as much as 75 m (246 ft) high to the opposite extreme down in lower ground or even on rocks or ground trees are scarce. In a few studies different areas of New South Wales, the mean nest height was from 5.2 to 21.7 m (17 to 71 ft) and were often relatively close to human development. Two results in southern Victoria found mean nest heights to be 12.6 and 18.1 m (41 and 59 ft). In often particularly arid Western Australia, mean nest heights were reportedly lower, averaging at 6.5 and 15.5 m (21 and 51 ft). Detailed study in Western Australia found nest heights were higher in Mediterranean scrubland at 4 to 16 m (13 to 52 ft) against 2 to 6 m (6.6 to 19.7 ft) in the arid zone, but nest height seemed to not have bearing on occupancy or success, territoriality kept the population regulated within the habitats. Occasionally they may nest in dwarf trees at as low as 1 to 2 m (3.3 to 6.6 ft).
Favoured nesting trees include many Eucalyptus and Casuarina species, as well as Corymbia, Callitris and Syncarpia glomulifera while in inland areas more often Acacia, Flindersia as well as Hakea leucoptera and Grevillea striata. The amount of Eucalyptus tree species used by wedge-tailed eagles is extremely diverse and ultimately the species seem to have no strong overall preferences regarding tree species, more importantly seeking a given tree of ample height and considerable broadness. Furthermore, nest trees are often on slightly elevated ground above the mean ground level, presumably in order to offer a more commanding view of the surrounding environment.  Additionally, trees with fewer lower branches may be preferred. Nests are seldom on dead trees, usually this occurs where there is an absence of leafy ones. While Australian nests can be in quite varied surroundings, Tasmanian nests are almost exclusively within well forested areas. Forest type nests tend to have a sparse, open understory and woodlands or nearby glades often are considered perhaps more attractive to the species. In desert-type areas, they may nest on a hill or a rise, and in addition sometimes cliff ledges, or among rocks, and even on ground in both islands and desert-like areas, preferably in areas difficult for or inaccessible to humans. Additionally they've been known to nest on power pylons and telegraph poles. Other smaller animals may nest among the sticks at the base of active wedge-tailed eagle nests such as finches, pardalotes and even possums (which more so than the small birds are presumably vulnerable to the eagles if caught in the open), perhaps gaining some protection from the presence of the eagles. This is a not unknown phenomenon in many bird assemblages for small birds to gain incidental protection from strong raptors. Other species, such as Pacific black ducks (Anas superciliosa), falcons and owls, may also benefit by utilizing unused nests for their own breeding purposes, although typically only the falcons usually use them with relative regularity.


Clutch size is usually just one or two but sometimes to 4. About 80% of nests where eagles have managed to lay eggs contain two eggs. Mean clutch size is apparently somewhat higher in the western part of the range. The female lays multi-egg clutches by some 3 days or so apart. The eggs are buff or white in colour, often appearing heavily blotched all over with purple-brown, red-brown or lavender, or more sparsely spotted with reddish brown. The amount of spotting is quite variable on eggs even within a single clutch, some being heavily marked, others hardly at all, and at times concentrated on the pointier end of the egg. When freshly laid, the eggs are glossy but they become more matte and brittle with age. Eggs may range in height from 66 to 79.3 mm (2.60 to 3.12 in), averaging 73 mm (2.9 in) in a sample of 54, by 55 to 63.5 mm (2.17 to 2.50 in), averaging 58.8 mm (2.31 in). Each egg normally weighs about 120 to 150 g (4.2 to 5.3 oz), the equivalent to about three chicken eggs or about 3% of the female eagle's body weight, 10% when the clutch number is 3, which is typical for an Aquila eagle but a small percentage relative to smaller raptors. The larger eagles of Tasmania lay larger eggs on average reportedly. Wedge-tailed eagles sometimes lay runt eggs in nests in normal nests, in a condition apparently unique for Australian raptors, and these reportedly never hatch. If a clutch is lost or stolen early in incubation, some pairs have been documented to replace it, being able to do so about a month later. The incubation stage lasts for 42–48 days. The female of the pair either primarily or entirely incubates on her own and, like many eagles, she is a tight sitter.  However, the male will incubate at times as well, at least up to an hour at a time. In New South Wales, the male was found to incubate for 16–20% of daylight during which the nest was unguarded for 3–13% of the day. In some cases, male incubation may vary from 1–6% of daylight to as much as 38% of daylight with shifts in extreme lasting up to 6 hours. Male primarily delivers prey to the nest during incubation (not prior), up about to the stage where the eaglet(s) can be left unattended.
The chicks are covered in white down up at first and are expectedly semi-altricial. At about 12 days or so, a slightly greyer down develops and this ultimately becomes the woolly undercoat for the contour feathers. Within a couple days later, the black quills of the primaries often start to emerge, and can start to stand and move around the nest. At 28 days, the eaglets are showing their upper wing coverts increasingly through the down. At 35 days of age, some darker feathers are appearing on areas such as the breast, belly, mantle, back and head; mostly these are evident as a few dark rufous feathers poking through the head down while at this age they show a short buff-tipped tail. They are partially feathered up to 37 days and nearly completely feathered by 49 days. At around 37 days, they can attempt to tear food from carcass in the nests without much success. From 50 days onwards, the eaglet(s) play a good deal, pouncing on sticks and degree around the nest. Around this age, they are markedly almost full feathered but for the wing and tail, neither of which has reached its full length, and they may have a few wisps of down about their crown or neck. Weight increases are from about 1.17 kg (2.6 lb) at 15 days with a notably increase in robustness to 2.6 kg (5.7 lb) at 29 days, to 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) at 49 days, making more rapid feathering growth thereafter primarily while body size growth slows considerably. Sibling aggression tends to begin at when around when the eaglets are two weeks of age, as in many birds of prey, the younger sibling(s) in wedge-tailed eagles are not infrequently runts. Unlike related eagles, there is some evidence that higher parental attendance limits instances of aggression, whereas in other eagles this occurs often in the parent's presence. In all eagles, the parent eagles make no attempt to intercede when runting or aggression between siblings occurs. Siblicide occurs occasionally in this species and it is considered a “facultative cainist” rather than an obligate one, meaning siblicide occurs occasionally and as conditions dictate as opposed to some eagles where it occurs almost invariably. Reportedly, in Tasmania, a study reported that all but 2% of recorded nests managed to produce two fledglings, implying extremely low rates of siblicide in this race. The female broods attentively at first but then decreases after the second or third week and then ceases brooding almost entirely by 30 days, even at night. For 40 or more days, the female continues to assist the young with feeding, typically from the male's prey deliveries though the female may resume hunting after nest attendance drops. Potential predators such as goannas are struck when found to be approaching the nest, although the eagles usually abandon the nest when a human approaches. Repeated intrusions and noisy disturbances may have a net negative effect such as on Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles, as these factors often lead to nest failure. In one case in South Australia, the removal of a dead tree in the vicinity of a wedge-tailed eagle nest resulted in full abandonment of the nest by the parents. The female may too continue to bring green leaves to a late stages, doing so more often in a spell of wet weather. During times of plenty, caches can sometimes form around the nest, with much prey left partially or entirely uneaten. Upon leaving the nest at 11 to 12 weeks of age, the young eagles are not strong fliers for another 20 days or so, but can competent flying can be by about 90 days of ages, though full feather development is not until 120 days. Fledgling occurs at 67 to 95 days, typically being less than 90 days and averaging roughly around 79 days. Dependence lasts up to 4 to 6 months after fledging, with the juvenile eagles which overstay rarely known to be an occasionally fatal danger to the subsequent chick hatched to their parents. During the later periods of fledgling, interactions are restricted to brief prey deliveries and the parent eagles stop feeding the young eagle(s), forcing to go forage elsewhere for foods. A study of post-fledgling dispersal found in one case that a young eagle covered only a 4.22 km² (1.63 sq mi) range, with a maximum covered in a week of 3.28 km (2.04 mi). Most recoveries in one banding study were distributed under 300 km (190 mi) from their original banding site, mostly as fledgling age juveniles, but some meandered up to 821 km (510 mi) away. After dispersal, young eagles are floaters up until their 4th or 5th year, typically avoiding the territories of adults and searching out feeding opportunities. Up to two-thirds of young wedge-tailed eagles may die some time between fledgling and when they are 3–5 years but adults often have quite low mortality rates and can live the better part of a half century. First breeding is typically at 6 or 7 years old. Lifespans of wedge-tailed eagles in the wild are poorly known, with the maximum recorded in one banding study being merely 9 years, quite a paltry age compared to other large eagles, and it is quite conceivable that eagles who survive to maturity not infrequently live around twice that long or more. In captivity, the species has been known to live to around 40 years of age.


Only one young is typically produced from a clutch of two but occasionally two fledglings may occur.  The breeding success rates of the species are variable. In overall studies, at least 52 to 90% of breeding pairs managed to produce a fledgling, with further projected numbers from this of 0.2–0.5 fledgling per pair, 0.7–1.2 fledgling per clutch and 1.1–1.3 fledgling per brood. In southwestern Australia, from 0.7 to 1.2 young are fledged per clutch laid, 0.19–0.46 young per pair per year. In south-central Queensland, fledgling productivity was 1.1 per young to pairs that laid eggs. Northern New South Wales eagles were able to produce 0.8 young per pair from 2005 to 2006 while 0.89 and 0.64 fledged young per pair per year was the fledgling rate in central and western New South Wales, respectively. In a further study in New South Wales at Burrendong Dam, from 1993 to 2003, 15 pairs produced an average of one fledgling per territory but 1998 due to drought conditions, the rate was only 0.4 chick per territory. Within Kinchega National Park, however, the rate of 0.99 young per pair was fairly consistent regardless of climatic conditions. In the Australian Capital Territory, pairs were said to produce 1.1 fledglings per pair. In southeastern Australia, from 0.9 to 1.5 young per clutch are laid, with 0.6–1.0 young per pair per year. In Tasmania, from 0.64 to 0.8 young are fledged per clutch laid, 1.07 per successful nest. 0.91 young were produced per pair in southern South Australia or 1.1 fledglings per successful nesting attempt. Subsequent research in South Australia found 38 successfully fledged young with 10 pairs or 26% producing two fledglings and that production was 1.1 per occupied territory and 1.3 per successful pair. 0.73 fledglings were produced pair per year in south-west Western Australia. Western Australian eagles produced 0.92 fledged young per clutch laid and 1.1 young per successful nest. During periods of drought in Western Australia, some wedge-tailed eagles may forgo breeding for up to four years. Higher annual rainfall in Western Australia, higher in mesic than arid areas, made a big difference in pair productivity, with 12% of arid zone pairs producing young, or 0.13 fledglings per pair, a very low productivity, while the mesic zone 69% of pairs produced fledglings, or 0.77 fledglings per pair. Generally, wedge-tailed eagles can nest in a variety of habitats and climatic conditions but tend to be slightly less productive in more arid environments. Significant broad-scale control is thought to be unlikely to be harming numbers of young being produced with those with a macropod-based diet perhaps having a richer diet. Like most eagles, wedge-tailed eagles fit the mold rather well of a K-selected breeder, i.e. being large, producing fewer young and tending to live relatively long.


In the 1990s, it was estimated broadly that the global population was somewhere between 10,001 and 1,000,000 individuals. As of 2009, Birdlife International listed the total population as only 100,000 mature individuals, possibly conservative and admittedly from poor supporting data. As of that analysis, Birdlife considers the overall population of wedge-tailed eagles to be “possibly increasing”. Generally, the wedge-tailed eagle appears to be quite stable in population. Although wedge-tailed eagles are often scarcer than those large distribution suggests, their total distribution covers more than 10.5 million square kilometers and the population is quite likely within hundreds of thousands. Thinning of forest cover, mostly inadvertent provisioning of carrion food sources and, particularly, rabbit introductions may have aided the species, and it may actually be commoner now than before European colonization. Though protected, sometimes wedge-tailed eagles are shot or trapped or killed by poison carcasses set out by farmers many of whom consider it a serious sheep killer. Historically, the wedge-tailed eagle was subject to persecution levels to rival any other eagle in the world. The heavy persecution began in the closing decades of the 19th century, due largely to the establishment of large-scale sheep farming in Australia. One Queensland station claimed to have poisoned 1060 eagles over 8 months in 1903. Laws passed from 1909 to 1925 made it mandatory for landowners and farmers to kill eagles as vermin with enforcement determined by a given region's minister or vermin board, resulting in even more sweeping efforts to destroy the species. Steel-jawed rabbit traps were set around carcasses and Heligoland traps could sometimes trap several eagles at once, beyond sustained shooting and poisoning efforts. Between the years 1958 and 1967, 120,000 bounties were paid in merely the states of Queensland and Western Australia on wedge-tailed eagles killed, meaning an average 13,000 were killed each year. Even by 1967 to 1976, likely intentional human killings accounted for 54% of wedge-tailed eagle mortalities in Western Australia, with an estimated 30,000 killed in the year of 1969 throughout Australia. Strong legal protections started in Western Australia in the 1950s increasingly so to the 1970s or later elsewhere, now it is protected and subject to limited persecution throughout. Despite reduced persecution, as of the 1980s, 54% of recovered eagles by the 1980s were killed by human persecution. Despite such stunningly high rates of persecution, the wedge-tailed eagle was remarkably resilient to the haphazard persecution inflicted by humans in a way many other Australian wildlife, especially the regionally endemic mammals, and even other eagles elsewhere often are not.
Often the species is less intentionally harmed via human disturbance via land development particularly intensifying agricultural and modern settlements, which can in turn lead to clearing of mature trees, disturbances at the nest and decline of native prey species, all of which have a net negative effect on the wedge-tailed eagles. Eggshell thickness was not significantly decreased by the use of DDT likely due likely to the largely mammal-based diet of the species, whereas raptors which consume birds or fish are disproportionately effected by DDT. On occasional, the species is still subject to illegal shootings and poisonings, however persecution of the species is significantly less prevalent in recent decades. Occasionally but not commonly, they are killed by sodium fluoroacetate poisons long used to “control” Australian wildlife, but now generally directed at invasive species such as rabbits, feral pigs and foxes. A list of the main persistent threats in the 21st century to wedge-tailed eagles consists of: destruction of habitat, including logging, developments including urbanization, wind farm collisions and the disturbance and destruction associated with their construction, increasing density rural human populations, illegal persecution in sheep farm areas, drowning in open tanks in dry pastoral zones, roadkills (especially while foraging for roadkill carrion), collisions with fences, powerlines and airplanes, regular electrocutions, poisoning from rabbit baits and other baits and exposure to lead and other bullet fragments which may be responsible for some eagle debilitations and deaths. Within the Fleurieu Peninsula, some 1.74 eagles on average are claimed by wind farm turbine collisions. Conservation needs may differ in different habitats, i.e. in more coastal temperate areas, the eagle is reported to have difficulty nesting when hillsides have been cleared of trees, meanwhile inland, they have lesser need of trees in elevated locations because they are more often assisted by thermals. However, they cannot generally persist where leafy trees are clearcut. Surprising resilience even to drought was found recently in the wedge-tailed eagles in the Australian Capital Territory where pair occupancy remained consistent through drought for wedge-tailed eagles but not for little eagles, but this is may have more to do with the wedge-tails more successful uncoupling from a dependence on declining rabbits as prey than the little eagle. Of 84 eagle deaths or debilitating injuries, 52% were attributable to collisions or electrocutions, 15.5% due to persecution, 11% due to natural causes and 15% were due to unknown causes.


The Tasmanian race of wedge-tailed eagle, A. a. fleayi, is quite restricted in range and habitat, with estimated numbers having gone from 140 pairs in 1980s down to only 60–80 by the mid-1990s. With the island's population numbering quite low and likely continuing its declining, as evidenced by slow replacement of lost pair members, the subspecies is listed as state-endangered. Furthermore, surveys contrasting 1977–1981 with 1998–2001 data found a decline of around 28% in the island's reported number of eagles. Generally Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles are even less tolerant of human alterations and disturbances near the nest site than mainland wedge-tailed eagles and have more specific habitat requirements. Historically, the same hunting organization in Tasmania that played a large role in the extinction of the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) also intentionally tried to hunt the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle into extinction, publicly having erroneously claimed that eagles were non-native in Tasmania, however hunting is unlikely to further continue on a large scale in the state. Where habitat clearance and degradation is extensive in Tasmania, the native prey populations be insufficient to support eagles. Furthermore, the clearing or logging of trees is especially critical in Tasmania, where the eagle is by and large a forest-dependent breeder. Studies indicate that the Tasmanian eagles mostly nest in emergent trees in old-growth native forest exposed to early morning sun and sheltered from prevailing strong winds and cold spring winds, given the more temperate climate here relative to most points in mainland Australia. The subspecies requires forest areas greater than 10 ha (25 acres) in which to breed and is very prone to desert its nest when disturbed. A predicted change was calculated to the carrying capacity of the Tasmanian forest given current operations is modeled, likely driving the population down. Wind farms in Tasmania are also an occasional threat; although not thought to be a significant source of mortality, wedge-tailed eagles, especially young ones, are less success at avoiding invariably fatal collisions with them than Tasmanian white-bellied sea eagles. Furthermore, of 109 eagle carcasses recovered in Tasmania, all of them had trace levels of lead in their livers or femurs with at least part of the exposure likely from lead ammunition. In addition, like all eagles, Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles are vulnerable to electrocutions, and collisions with vehicles, overhead wires, and fences and poisonings, largely via illegal killings by poachers of Tasmanian devils and forest ravens (Corvus tasmanicus). Efforts are underway to ameliorate the harm being done to Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles, especially via forestry operations. In protected areas, protocols are in place to protect Tasmanian eagle nests and protect them by creating an obligatory nest reserve of at least 10 ha and forestry operation have been restricted during the breeding season to outside a buffer zone of 500 m (1,600 ft), extending further to 1 km (0.62 mi) if the proposed work is in the line-of-sight of the nesting eagles. About 20% of known pairs are outside protected areas and on private land, so are largely outside the strict legal protection the subspecies has on governmental forest land. Furthermore, researchers are instituting rules to minimize disturbance, limiting breeding surveys to distant observations of whitewash and flattened treetops as proof of nesting and all detailed observations to be obtained after the cessation of breeding activities.


The bird is an emblem of the Northern Territory. The Parks and Wildlife Service of the Northern Territory uses the wedge-tailed eagle, superimposed over a map of the Northern Territory, as their emblem. The New South Wales Police Force emblem contains a wedge-tailed eagle in flight, as does the Northern Territory Correctional Services. La Trobe University in Melbourne also uses the wedge-tailed eagle in its corporate logo and coat of arms. The wedge-tailed eagle is also a symbol of the Australian Defence Force, featuring prominently on the ADF Flag, and the Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Air Force Cadets both use a wedge-tailed eagle on their badges. The Royal Australian Air Force has named its airborne early warning and control aircraft after the bird, the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail.
Early in 1967, the Australian Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment received its new badge, a wedge-tailed eagle swooping, carrying a lance-bearing the motto "Courage" in its talons. The regiment's mascot is a wedge-tailed eagle named "Courage". Since its formation, there have been two, Courage I and Courage II. In 1997, while on flight training with his handlers, Corporal Courage II refused to cooperate and flew away, not being found for two days following an extensive search. He was charged with being AWOL and reduced to the rank of trooper. He was promoted back to corporal in 1998.
The West Coast Eagles AFL football club from Western Australia uses a stylised wedge-tailed eagle as their club emblem. In recent years, they have had a real-life wedge-tailed eagle named "Auzzie" perform tricks before matches.


The golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. These birds are dark brown, with lighter golden-brown plumage on their napes. Immature eagles of this species typically have white on the tail and often have white markings on the wings. Golden eagles use their agility and speed combined with powerful feet and large, sharp talons to hunt a variety of prey, mainly hares, rabbits, and marmots and other ground squirrels.
Golden eagles maintain home ranges or territories that may be as large as 200 km² (77 sq mi). They build large nests in cliffs and other high places to which they may return for several breeding years. Most breeding activities take place in the spring; they are monogamous and may remain together for several years or possibly for life. Females lay up to four eggs, and then incubate them for six weeks. Typically, one or two young survive to fledge in about three months. These juvenile golden eagles usually attain full independence in the fall, after which they wander widely until establishing a territory for themselves in four to five years.
Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many areas that are heavily populated by humans. Despite being extirpated from or uncommon in some of its former range, the species is still widespread, being present in sizeable stretches of Eurasia, North America, and parts of North Africa. It is the largest and least populous of the five species of true accipitrid to occur as a breeding species in both the Palearctic and the Nearctic.
For centuries, this species has been one of the most highly regarded birds used in falconry. Because of its hunting prowess, the golden eagle is regarded with great mystic reverence in some ancient, tribal cultures. It is one of the most extensively studied species of raptor in the world in some parts of its range, such as the Western United States and the Western Palearctic.


This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Falco chrysaetos. Since birds were grouped largely on superficial characteristics at that time, many species were grouped by Linnaeus into the genus Falco. The type locality was given simply as "Europa"; it was later fixed to Sweden. It was moved to the new genus Aquila by French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Aquila is Latin for "eagle", possibly derived from aquilus, "dark in colour" and chrysaetos is Ancient Greek for the golden eagle from khrusos, "gold" and aetos, "eagle".
The golden eagle is part of a broad group of raptors called "booted eagles" which are defined by the feature that all species have feathering over their tarsus, unlike many other accipitrids which have bare legs. Included in this group are all species described as "hawk eagles" including the genera Spizaetus and Nisaetus, as well as assorted monotypical genera such as Oroaetus, Lophaetus, Stephanoaetus, Polemaetus, Lophotriorchis and Ictinaetus. The genus Aquila is distributed across every continent but for South America and Antarctica. Up to 20 species have been classified in the genus, but more recently the taxonomic placement of some of the traditional species has been questioned. Traditionally, the Aquila eagles have been grouped superficially as largish, mainly brownish or dark-colored booted eagles that vary little in transition from their juvenile to their adult plumages. Genetic research has recently indicated the golden eagle is included in a clade with Verreaux's eagle in Africa as well as the Gurney's eagle (A. gurneyi) and the wedge-tailed eagle (clearly part of an Australasian radiation of the lineage). This identification of this particular clade has long been suspected based on similar morphological characteristics amongst these large-bodied species. More surprisingly, the smaller, much paler-bellied sister species Bonelli's eagle (A. fasciatus) and African hawk-eagle (A. spilogaster), previously included in the genus Hieraaetus, have been revealed to be genetically much closer to the Verreaux's and golden eagle lineage than to other species traditionally included in the genus Aquila. Other largish Aquila species, the eastern imperial, the Spanish imperial, the tawny and the steppe eagles, are now thought to be separate, close-knit clade, which attained some similar characteristics to the prior clade via convergent evolution. Genetically, the "spotted eagles" (A. pomarina, hastata and clanga), have been discovered to be more closely related to the long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) and the black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis), and many generic reassignments have been advocated. The genus Hieraaetus, including the booted eagle (H. pennatus), little eagle (H. morphnoides) and Ayres's hawk-eagle (H. ayresii), consists of much smaller species, that are in fact smallest birds called eagles outside of the unrelated Spilornis serpent-eagle genus. This genus has recently been eliminated by many authorities and is now occasionally also included in Aquila, although not all ornithological unions have followed this suit in this re-classification. The small-bodied Wahlberg's eagle (H. wahlbergi) has been traditionally considered a Aquila species due to its lack of change from juvenile to adult plumage and brownish color but it is actually genetically aligned to the Hieraaetus lineage. Cassin's hawk-eagle (H. africanus) is also probably closely related to the Hieraaetus group rather than the Spizaetus/Nisaetus "hawk-eagle" group (in which it was previously classified) which is not known to have radiated to Africa.


There are six extant subspecies of golden eagle that differ slightly in size and plumage. Individuals of any of the subspecies are somewhat variable and the differences between the subspecies are clinal, especially in terms of body size. Other than these characteristics, there is little variation across the range of the species. Some recent studies have gone so far as to propose that only two subspecies be recognized based on genetic markers: Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos (including A. c. homeyeri) and A. c. canadensis (including A. c. japonica, A. c. daphanea and A. c. kamtschatica).
 Aquila chrysaetos chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758) – sometimes referred to as the European golden eagle. This is the nominate subspecies. This subspecies is found almost throughout Europe, including the British Isles (mainly in Scotland), the majority of Scandinavia, southern and northernmost France, Italy and Austria. In Eastern Europe, it is found from Estonia to Romania, Greece, Serbia and Bulgaria in southeastern Europe. It is also distributed through European Russia, reportedly reaching its eastern limit around the Yenisei River in Russia, also ranging south at a similar longitude into western Kazakhstan and northern Iran. Male wing length is from 56.5 to 67 cm (22.2 to 26.4 in), averaging 62 cm (24 in), and female wing length is from 61.5 to 71.2 cm (24.2 to 28.0 in), averaging 67 cm (26 in). Males weigh from 2.8 to 4.6 kg (6.2 to 10.1 lb), averaging 3.69 kg (8.1 lb), and females weigh from 3.8 to 6.7 kg (8.4 to 14.8 lb), averaging 5.17 kg (11.4 lb). The male of this subspecies has a wingspan of 1.89 to 2.15 m (6 ft 2 in to 7 ft 1 in), with an average of 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in), with the female's typical wingspan range is 2.12 to 2.2 m (6 ft 11 in to 7 ft 3 in), with an average of 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in). This is a medium-sized subspecies and is the palest. As opposed to golden eagles found further east in Eurasia, the adults of this subspecies are a tawny golden-brown on the upperside. The nape patch is often gleaming golden in color and the feathers here are exceptionally long.
 Aquila chrysaetos homeyeri Severtzov, 1888 – commonly known as the Iberian golden eagle. This subspecies occurs in almost the entirety of the Iberian peninsula as well as the island of Crete, though it is absent from the rest of continental Europe. It also ranges in North Africa in a narrow sub-coastal strip from Morocco to Tunisia. A completely isolated population of golden eagles is found in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains, at the southern limit of the species' range worldwide. Although this latter population has not been formally assigned to a subspecies, there is a high probability that it belongs with A. c. homeyeri. This subspecies also ranges in much of Asia Minor, mainly Turkey, spottily through the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula into northern Yemen and Oman to its eastern limits throughout the Caucasus, much of Iran and north to southwestern Kazakhstan. Male wing length is from 55 to 64.3 cm (21.7 to 25.3 in), averaging 59 cm (23 in), and female wing length is from 60 to 70.5 cm (23.6 to 27.8 in), averaging 64 cm (25 in). Weight is from 2.9 to 6 kg (6.4 to 13.2 lb) with no known reports of average masses. This subspecies is slightly smaller and darker plumaged than the nominate subspecies, but it is not as dark as the golden eagles found further to the east. The forehead and crown are dark brownish, with the nape patch being short-feathered and a relatively light rusty color.
 Aquila chrysaetos daphanea Severtzov, 1888 – known variously as the Asian golden eagle, Himalayan golden eagle or berkut. This subspecies is distributed in central Kazakhstan, eastern Iran, and the easternmost Caucasus, distributed to Manchuria and central China and along the Himalayas from northern Pakistan to Bhutan and discontinuing in northeastern Myanmar (rarely ranging over into northernmost India). This subspecies is the largest on average. Male wing length is from 60 to 68 cm (24 to 27 in), averaging 64 cm (25 in), and female wing length is from 66 to 72 cm (26 to 28 in), averaging 70 cm (28 in). No range of body weights are known, but males will weigh approximately 4.05 kg (8.9 lb) and females 6.35 kg (14.0 lb). Although the wingspan of this subspecies reportedly averages 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in), some individuals can have much longer wings. One female berkut had an authenticated wingspan of 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in), although she was a captive specimen. It is generally the second-darkest subspecies, being blackish on the back. The forehead and crown are dark with a blackish cap near the end of the crown. The feathers of the nape and top-neck are rich brown-red. The nape feathers are slightly shorter than in the nominate subspecies and are similar in length to A. c. homeyeri.
 Aquila chrysaetos japonica Severtzov, 1888 – commonly known as the Japanese golden eagle. This subspecies is found in northern Japan (the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido and discontinuously in Kyushu) and undefined parts of Korea. Male wing length is from 58 to 59.5 cm (22.8 to 23.4 in), averaging 59 cm (23 in), and female wing length is from 62 to 64.5 cm (24.4 to 25.4 in), averaging 63 cm (25 in). No range of body weights are known, but males will weigh approximately 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) and females 3.25 kg (7.2 lb). This is, by far, the smallest-bodied subspecies. It is also the darkest, with even adults being a slaty-grayish black on the back and crown and juveniles being similar, but with darker black plumage contrasting with brownish color and white scaling on the wings, flank and tail. This subspecies has bright rufous nape feathers that are quite loose and long. Adult Japanese golden eagles often maintain extensive white mottling on the inner-webs of the tail that tend to be more typical of juvenile eagles in other subspecies.
 Aquila chrysaetos canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) – commonly known as the North American golden eagle. Occupies the species' entire range in North America, which comprises the great majority of Alaska, western Canada, Western United States and Mexico. The species is found breeding occasionally in all Canadian provinces but for Nova Scotia. It is currently absent in the Eastern United States as breeding species east of a line from North Dakota down through westernmost Nebraska and Oklahoma to West Texas. The southern limits of its range are in central Mexico, from the Guadalajara area in the west to the Tampico area in the east; it is the "Mexican eagle" featured on the coat of arms of Mexico. It is the subspecies with the largest breeding range and is probably the most numerous subspecies, especially if A. c. kamtschatica is included. Male wing length is from 59.1 to 64 cm (23.3 to 25.2 in), averaging 61 cm (24 in), and female wing length is from 60.1 to 67.4 cm (23.7 to 26.5 in), averaging 65 cm (26 in). The average wingspan in both sexes is about 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in). Males weigh from 2.5 to 4.47 kg (5.5 to 9.9 lb), averaging 3.48 kg (7.7 lb), and females typically weigh from 3.6 to 6.4 kg (7.9 to 14.1 lb), averaging 4.91 kg (10.8 lb). The subspecies does not appear to follow Bergmann's rule (the rule that widely distributed organisms are larger-bodied further away from the Equator), as specimens of both sexes from Idaho had a mean weight of 4.22 kg (9.3 lb) and where slightly heavier than those from Alaska, with a mean weight of 3.76 kg (8.3 lb). It is medium-sized, being generally intermediate in size between the nominate and A. c. homeyeri, but with much overlap. It is blackish to dark brown on the back. The long feathers of the nape and top-neck are rusty-reddish and slightly narrower and darker than in the nominate subspecies.
 Aquila chrysaetos kamtschatica Severtzov, 1888 – sometimes referred to as the Siberian golden eagle or the Kamchatkan golden eagle. This subspecies ranges from Western Siberia (where overlap with A. c. chrysaetos is probable), across most of Russia, including the Altay (spilling over into Northern Mongolia), to the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Anadyrsky District. This subspecies is often included in A. c. canadensis. Male wing length is from 61.8 to 70.5 cm (24.3 to 27.8 in), averaging 64 cm (25 in), and female wing length is from 65 to 72 cm (26 to 28 in), averaging 69 cm (27 in). No weights are known in this subspecies. The coloration of these eagles is almost exactly the same as in A. c. canadensis. The main difference is that this subspecies is much larger in size, being nearly the equal of A. c. daphanea if going on wing-length.
The larger Middle Pleistocene golden eagles of France (and possibly elsewhere) are referred to a paleosubspecies Aquila chrysaetos bonifacti, and the huge specimens of the Late Pleistocene of Liko Cave (Crete) have been named Aquila chrysaetos simurgh (Weesie, 1988). Similarly, an ancestral golden eagle, with a heavier, broader skull, larger wings and shorter legs when compared to modern birds, has been found in the La Brea Tar Pits of southern California.


The golden eagle is a very large raptor, 66 to 102 centimetres (26 to 40 in) in length. Its wings are broad and the wingspan is 1.8 to 2.34 metres (5 ft 11 in to 7 ft 8 in). The wingspan of golden eagles is the fifth largest among living eagle species. Females are larger than males, with a bigger difference in larger subspecies. Females of the large Himalayan golden eagles are about 37% heavier than males and have nearly 9% longer wings, whereas in the smaller Japanese golden eagles, females are only 26% heavier with around 6% longer wings. In the largest subspecies (A. c. daphanea), males and females weigh typically 4.05 and 6.35 kg (8.9 and 14.0 lb), respectively. In the smallest subspecies, A. c. japonica, males weigh 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) and females 3.25 kg (7.2 lb). In the species overall, males average around 3.6 kg (7.9 lb) and females around 5.1 kg (11 lb). The maximum size of golden eagles is debated. Large subspecies are the heaviest representatives of the genus Aquila and this species is on average the seventh-heaviest living eagle species. The golden eagle is the second heaviest breeding eagle in North America, Europe and Africa and the fourth heaviest in Asia. For some time, the largest known mass authenticated for a wild female was the specimen from the A. c. chrysaetos subspecies which weighed around 6.7 kg (15 lb) and spanned 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) across the wings. American golden eagles are typically somewhat smaller than the large Eurasian species, but a massive female that was banded and released in 2006 around Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest became the heaviest wild golden eagle on record, at 7.7 kg (17 lb).  Captive birds have been measured with a wingspan of 2.81 m (9 ft 3 in) and a mass of 12.1 kg (27 lb), though this mass was for an eagle bred for falconry, which tend to be unnaturally heavy.
The standard measurements of the species include a wing chord length of 52–72 cm (20–28 in), a tail length of 26.5–38 cm (10.4–15.0 in) and a tarsus length of 9.4–12.2 cm (3.7–4.8 in). The culmen (upper ridge of beak) reportedly averages around 4.5 cm (1.8 in), with a range of 3.6 to 5 cm (1.4 to 2.0 in). The bill length from the gape measures around 6 cm (2.4 in). The long, straight and powerful hallux-claw (hind claw) can range from 4.5 to 6.34 cm (1.77 to 2.50 in), about one centimetre longer than in a bald eagle and a little more than one centimetre less than a harpy eagle.


Adults of both sexes have similar plumage and are primarily dark brown, with some grey on the inner wing and tail, and a paler, typically golden colour on the back of the crown and nape that gives the species its common name.  Unlike other Aquila species, where the tarsal feathers are typically similar in colour to the rest of the plumage, the tarsal feathers of golden eagles tend to be paler, ranging from light golden to white. In addition, some full-grown birds (especially in North America) have white "epaulettes" on the upper part of each scapular feather tract. The bill is dark at the tip, fading to a lighter horn colour, with a yellow cere. As in many accipitrids, the bare portion of the feet is yellow. There are subtle differences in colouration among subspecies, described below.
Juvenile golden eagles are similar to adults but tend to be darker, appearing black on the back especially in East Asia. They have a less faded colour. Young birds are white for about two-thirds of their tail length, ending with a broad, black band. Occasionally, juvenile eagles have white patches on the remiges at the bases of the inner primaries and the outer secondaries, forming a crescent marking on the wings which tends to be divided by darker feathers. Rarely, juvenile birds may have only traces of white on the tail. Compared to the relatively consistently white tail, the white patches on the wing are extremely variable; some juveniles have almost no white visible. Juveniles of less than 12 months of age tend to have the most white in their plumage. By their second summer, the white underwing coverts are usually replaced by a characteristic rusty brown colour. By the third summer, the upper-wing coverts are largely replaced by dark brown feathers, although not all feathers moult at once which leaves many juvenile birds with a grizzled pattern. The tail follows a similar pattern of maturation to the wings. Due to the variability between individuals, juvenile eagles cannot be reliably aged by sight alone. Many golden eagles still have white on the tail during their first attempt at nesting. The final adult plumage is not fully attained until the birds are between 5 and a half and 6 and a half years old.


This species moults gradually beginning in March or April until September or October each year. Moulting usually decreases in winter. Moult of the contour feathers begins on the head and neck region and progresses along the feather tracts in a general front-to-back direction. Feathers on head, neck, back and scapulars may be replaced annually. With large feathers of the wing and tail, moult begins with the innermost feathers and proceeds outwards in a straightforward manner known as "descendant" moult.


While many accipitrids are not known for their strong voices, golden eagles have a particular tendency for silence, even while breeding. That being said, some vocalization has been recorded, usually centering around the nesting period. The voice of the golden eagle is considered weak, high, and shrill, has been called "quite pathetic" and "puppy-like", and seems incongruous with the formidable size and nature of the species. Most known vocalisations seem to function as contact calls between eagles, sometimes adults to their offspring, occasionally territorial birds to intruders and rarely between a breeding pair. In western Montana, nine distinct calls were noted: a chirp, a seeir, a pssa, a skonk, a cluck, a wonk, a honk and a hiss.


Golden eagles are sometimes considered the best fliers among eagles and perhaps among all raptorial birds. They are equipped with broad, long wings with somewhat finger-like indentations on the tips of the wing. Golden eagles are unique among their genus in that they often fly in a slight dihedral, which means the wings are often held in a slight, upturned V-shape. When they need to flap, golden eagles appear at their most laboured, but this is less common than soaring or gliding––. Flapping flight usually consists of 6–8 deep wing-beats, interspersed with 2–3 second glides. While soaring, the wings and tail are held in one plane with the primary tips often spread. A typical, unhurried soaring speed in golden eagles is around 45–52 kilometres per hour (28–32 mph). When hunting or displaying, the golden eagle can glide very fast, reaching speeds of up to 190 kilometres per hour (120 mph). When stooping (diving) in the direction of prey or during territorial displays, the eagle holds its legs up against its tail, and holds its wings tight and partially closed against its body. When diving after prey, a golden eagle can reach 240 to 320 kilometres per hour (150 to 200 mph). Although less agile and manoeuvrable, the golden eagle is apparently quite the equal and possibly even the superior of the peregrine falcon's stooping and gliding speeds. This makes the golden eagle one of the two fastest living animals. Although most flight in golden eagles has a clear purpose (e.g., territoriality, hunting), some flights, such as those by solitary birds or between well-established breeding pairs, seem to be play.


Size readily distinguishes this species from most other raptors when it is seen well. Most other raptors are considerably smaller. Buteo hawks, which are perhaps most similar to the golden eagle in structure among the species outside of the "booted eagle" group, are often counted among the larger very common raptors. However, a mid-sized Buteo is dwarfed by a golden eagle, as an adult female eagle has about double the wingspan and about five times the weight. Buteos are also usually distinctly paler below, although some species occur in dark morphs which can be darker than a golden eagle. Among raptorial birds that share the golden eagle's range, only some Old World vultures and the California condor are distinctly larger, with longer, broader wings, typically held more evenly in a slower, less forceful flight; they often have dramatically different colour patterns. In North America, the golden eagle may be confused with the turkey vulture from a great distance, as it is a large species that, like the golden eagle, often flies with a pronounced dihedral. The turkey vulture can be distinguished by its less controlled, forceful flying style (they frequently rock back and forth unsteadily in even moderate winds) and its smaller, thinner body, much smaller head and, at closer range, its slaty black-brown colour and silvery wing secondaries. Compared to Haliaeetus eagles, the golden eagle has wings that are only somewhat more slender but are more hawk-like and lack the flat, plank-like wing positioning seen in the other genus. Large northern Haliaeetus species usually have a larger bill and larger head which protrudes more distinctly than a golden eagle's in flight. The tail of the golden eagle is longer on average than those of Haliaeetus eagles, appearing to be two or three times the length of the head in soaring flight, whereas in the other eagles the head is often more than twice the length of the tail. Confusion is most likely between juvenile Haliaeetus and golden eagles, as the adult golden has a more solidly golden-brown coloration and all Haliaeetus eagles have obvious distinctive plumages as adults. Haliaeetus eagles are often heavily streaked in their juvenile phase. Juvenile golden eagles can have large patches of white on their wings and tail that are quite different from the random, sometimes large and splotchy-looking distribution of white typical of juvenile Haliaeetus.
Distinguishing the golden eagle from other Aquila eagles in Eurasia is more difficult. Identification may rely on the golden eagle's relatively long tail and patterns of white or grey on the wings and tail. Unlike golden eagles, other Aquila eagles do not generally fly in a pronounced dihedral. At close range, the golden to rufous nape-shawl of the golden eagle is distinctive from other Aquila. Most other Aquila eagles have darker plumage, although the smaller tawny eagle is often paler than the golden eagle (the overlap in range is verified only in Bale Mountains, Ethiopia). Among Eurasian Aquila, the adult eastern imperial and Spanish imperial eagle come closest to reaching the size of golden eagles, but both are distinguished by their longer necks, flatter wings in flight, white markings on their shoulder forewing-coverts, paler cream-straw coloured nape patch and generally darker colouration. Juvenile imperial eagles are much paler overall (caramel-cream in the Spanish; cream and tawny streaks in the eastern) and are not likely to be confused. Steppe eagles can also approach golden eagles in size but are more compact and smaller headed with little colour variation to their dark earth-brown plumage, apart from juvenile birds which have distinctive cream-coloured bands running through their coverts and secondaries. Verreaux's eagles are most similar in size and body shape to the golden, the body of the Verreaux's eagle being slightly longer overall but marginally less heavy and long-winged than the golden eagle's. The plumage is very distinctly different, however, as Verreaux's eagles are almost entirely jet-black except for some striking, contrasting white on the wing primaries, shoulders and upper-wing. This closely related species is known to co-occur with the golden eagle only in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. Other booted eagles in the golden eagle's range are unlikely to be confused due to differences in size and form. The only species in the genus Aquila that exceeds the golden eagle in average wingspan and length is the wedge-tailed eagle of Australasia; however, the wedge-tailed eagle is a slightly less heavy bird.


Golden eagles are fairly adaptable in habitat but often reside in areas with a few shared ecological characteristics. They are best suited to hunting in open or semi-open areas and search them out year-around. Native vegetation seems to be attractive to them and they typically avoid developed areas of any type from urban to agricultural as well as heavily forested regions. In desolate areas (e.g., the southern Yukon), they can occur regularly at roadkills and garbage dumps. The largest numbers of golden eagles are found in mountainous regions today, with many eagles doing a majority of their hunting and nesting on rock formations. However, they are not solely tied to high elevations and can breed in lowlands if the local habitats are suitable. Below are more detailed descriptions of habitats occupied by golden eagles in both continents where they occur.


In the Arctic fringe of Eurasia, golden eagles occur along the edge of the tundra and the taiga from the Kola peninsula to Anadyr in eastern Siberia, nesting in forests and hunting over nearby arctic heathland. Typical vegetation is stunted, fragmented larch woodland merging into low birch-willow scrub and various heathland. In the rocky, wet, windy maritime climate of Scotland, Ireland, and western Scandinavia, the golden eagle dwells in mountains. These areas include upland grasslands, blanket bog, and sub-Arctic heaths but also fragmented woodland and woodland edge, including boreal forests. In Western Europe, golden eagle habitat is dominated by open, rough grassland, heath and bogs, and rocky ridges, spurs, crags, scree, slopes and grand plateaux. In Sweden, Finland, the Baltic States, Belarus and almost the entire distribution in Russia all the way to the Pacific Ocean, golden eagles occur sparsely in lowland taiga forest. These areas are dominated by stands of evergreens such as pine, larch and spruce, occasionally supplemented by birch and alder stands in southern Scandinavia and the Baltic States. This is largely marginal country for golden eagles and they occur where tree cover is thin and abuts open habitat. Golden eagle taiga habitat usually consists of extensive peatland formations caused by poorly drained soils. In central Europe, golden eagles today occur almost exclusively in the major mountain ranges, such as the Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, and the Caucasus. Here, the species nests near the tree line and hunt subalpine and alpine pastures, grassland and heath above. Golden eagles also occur in moderately mountainous habitat along the Mediterranean Sea, from the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, to Greece, Turkey and Iraq. This area is characterized by low mountains, Mediterranean maquis vegetation, and sub-temperate open woodland. The local pine-oak vegetation, with a variety of Sclerophyllous shrubs are well-adapted to prolonged summer droughts. From Turkey and the southern Caspian Sea to the foothills of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan, the typical golden eagle habitat is temperate desert-like mountain ranges surrounded by steppe landscapes interspersed with forest. Here the climate is colder and more continental than around the Mediterranean. Golden eagles occupy the alpine ranges from the Altai Mountains and the Pamir Mountains to Tibet, in the great Himalayan massif, and Xinjiang, China, where they occupy the Tien Shan range. In these mountain ranges, the species often lives at very high elevations, living above tree line at more than 2,500 m (8,200 ft), often nesting in rocky scree and hunting in adjacent meadows. In Tibet, golden eagles inhabit high ridges and passes in the Lhasa River watershed, where they regularly join groups of soaring Himalayan vultures (Gyps himalayensis). One golden eagle was recorded circling at 6,190 m (20,310 ft) above sea-level in Khumbu in May 1975. In the mountains of Japan and Korea, the golden eagle occupies deciduous scrub woodland and carpet-like stands of Siberian dwarf pine (Pinus pumila) that merge into grasslands and alpine heathland. The golden eagle occurs in mountains from the Adrar Plateau in Mauritania to northern Yemen and Oman where the desert habitat is largely bereft of vegetation but offers many rocky plateaus to support both the eagles and their prey. In Israel, their habitat is mainly rocky slopes and wide wadi areas, chiefly in desert and to a lesser extent in semi-desert and Mediterranean climates, extending to open areas. In Northeastern Africa, the habitat is often of a sparse, desert-like character and is quite similar to the habitat in Middle East and the Arabian peninsula. In Ethiopia's Bale Mountains, where the vegetation is more lush and the climate is clearly less arid than in Northeastern Africa, the golden eagle occupies verdant mountains.