Class: Aves
Diet: Carnivore
Lifespan: Up to 40 years
Weight: Up to 5.3kg
Wingspan: Up to 2.3m
Reproduction: Egg-laying
Status: Tasmanian subspecies is endangered (Aquila audax fleayi)
The wedge-tailed eagle is characterised by its wedge-shaped tail and enormous wingspan, and is Australia’s largest bird of prey.
Their diet consists of rabbits, birds, reptiles and other mammals as well as carrion (road kill and carcasses). Wedge-tailed eagles catch their prey with their long, powerful talons (claws), and then tear it in to smaller pieces using their hooked beaks.
Wedge-tailed eagles are found throughout Australia. They enjoy soaring on air currents for hours at a time, reaching altitudes higher than 2000 metres by using rising currents of hot air called thermals while expending little energy.