.gif)
Aquila (genus)
Encyclopedia
Aquila is the genus
of true eagles. It is often united with the buteo
s, sea eagle
s and other more heavyset Accipitridae
, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine
hawks than believed. Eagle
s are not a natural group but denote essentially any bird of prey
large enough to hunt sizeable (about 50 cm long or more overall) vertebrate
prey.
, Lophaetus, Ictinaetus and the extinct Harpagornis, and all these appear to be paraphyletic with regards to the traditional Aquila. Especially some, if not all, species of Hieraaetus, separated primarily due to their smaller size, seem to belong here. The entire "typical eagle" group is in need of a thorough revision, and thus this species list cannot be more than a tentative one at present.
Most problematic is certainly Hieraeetus, the hawk-eagles. It is known that the type species
, the Booted Eagle, is very close to some Aquila eagles. Other hawk-eagles might indeed be distinct enough to warrant generic separation, but the name Hieraaetus is not available for them, being a junior synonym of Aquila as the Booted Eagle is included herein.
taxa of eagles have been described. Many have been moved to other genera, but several appear correctly assigned to this genus:
It is not clear whether "Hieraaetus
" edwardsi (Middle -? Late Miocene of SW Europe) belongs into Aquila or the hawk-eagles (if the latter are indeed distinct). Its initial name, "Aquila" minuta Milne-Edwards, 1871, is preoccupied by a junior synonym of the Booted Eagle
, Aquila minuta Brehm, 1831.
Not placed in Aquila anymore are:
"Aquila" danana (Snake Creek Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Loup Fork, USA), occasionally placed in Geranoaetus or Buteo
, was a bird of prey of unclear relationships.
For paleosubspecies of living Aquila, see the species accounts.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of true eagles. It is often united with the buteo
Buteo
Buteo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in North America...
s, sea eagle
Sea Eagle
Sea eagle mainly refers to Sea eagle, birds of prey of the genus Haliaeetus.It may also refer to:-Aerospace:* Sea Eagle , British, anti-ship missile* Sea Eagle * Supermarine Sea Eagle, 1920s British passenger flying boat-Sports:...
s and other more heavyset Accipitridae
Accipitridae
The Accipitridae, one of the two major families within the order Accipitriformes , are a family of small to large birds with strongly hooked bills and variable morphology based on diet. They feed on a range of prey items from insects to medium-sized mammals, with a number feeding on carrion and a...
, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine
Accipitrinae
The Accipitrinae is the subfamily of the Accipitridae often known as the "true" hawks, including all members of Accipiter and the closely related genera Melierax, Urotriorchis, Erythrotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread genus Accipiter includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, the...
hawks than believed. Eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s are not a natural group but denote essentially any bird of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
large enough to hunt sizeable (about 50 cm long or more overall) vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
prey.
Species
Aquila belongs to an extremely close-knit group of "typical" eagles. These include genera like HieraaetusHieraaetus
The genus Hieraaetus, sometimes known as hawk-eagles, denoted a group of smallish eagles usually placed in the Buteoninae subfamily of accipitrids....
, Lophaetus, Ictinaetus and the extinct Harpagornis, and all these appear to be paraphyletic with regards to the traditional Aquila. Especially some, if not all, species of Hieraaetus, separated primarily due to their smaller size, seem to belong here. The entire "typical eagle" group is in need of a thorough revision, and thus this species list cannot be more than a tentative one at present.
Most problematic is certainly Hieraeetus, the hawk-eagles. It is known that the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
, the Booted Eagle, is very close to some Aquila eagles. Other hawk-eagles might indeed be distinct enough to warrant generic separation, but the name Hieraaetus is not available for them, being a junior synonym of Aquila as the Booted Eagle is included herein.
- Bonelli's EagleBonelli's EagleThe Bonelli's Eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.It breeds in southern Europe, Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert and across southern Asia to Indonesia...
, Aquila fasciata - formerly Hieraaetus fasciatus - Booted EagleBooted EagleThe Booted Eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey. It is about in length and has a wingspan of . Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae....
, Aquila pennata - formerly Hieraaetus pennatus - Rufous-bellied EagleRufous-bellied EagleThe Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes the buzzards, hawks and Old World vultures. It was earlier placed under the genus Hieraaetus but this eagle may well belong to a separate genus. The name of Kienastur had been suggested.Rufous-bellied...
, Aquila kienerii - formerly Hieraaetus kienerii - Golden EagleGolden EagleThe Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, Aquila chrysaetos - Eastern Imperial EagleEastern Imperial EagleThe Eastern Imperial Eagle is a large species of bird of prey that breeds from southeastern Europe to central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, and southern and eastern Asia. The Spanish Imperial Eagle, found in Spain and Portugal, was formerly lumped with...
, Aquila heliaca - Spanish Imperial EagleSpanish Imperial EagleThe Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle is a threatened species of eagle that only occurs in central and south-west Spain, adjacent areas of Portugal and possibly northern Morocco, although the latter is disputed...
Aquila adalberti - Steppe EagleSteppe EagleThe Steppe Eagle is a bird of prey. It is about in length and has a wingspan of . Females, weighing 2.3–4.9 kg , are slightly larger than males, at 2–3.5 kg . Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
, Aquila nipalensis - Tawny EagleTawny EagleThe Tawny Eagle is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. It was once considered to be closely related to the migratory Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis, and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific...
, Aquila rapax - Greater Spotted EagleGreater Spotted EagleThe Greater Spotted Eagle , occasionally just called the spotted eagle, is a large bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
, Aquila clanga - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus - Lesser Spotted EagleLesser Spotted EagleThe Lesser Spotted Eagle is a large Eastern European bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
, Aquila pomarina - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus - Indian Spotted EagleIndian Spotted EagleThe Indian Spotted Eagle is a large South Asian bird of prey. Like all typical eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae...
, Aquila hastata - recently split from A. pomarina, to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus - Verreaux's EagleVerreaux's EagleVerreaux's Eagle , alternatively known as the Black Eagle , is a large bird of prey. This eagle lives in hilly and mountaineous regions of southern and eastern Africa , and very locally in Western Asia.- Description :It is long. Males weigh and females weigh...
, Aquila verreauxii - Gurney's EagleGurney's EagleGurney's Eagle, Aquila gurneyi, is a large eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is found on New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands.-Description:...
, Aquila gurneyi - Wahlberg's EagleWahlberg's EagleThe Wahlberg's Eagle is a bird of prey. It is about 55–60 cm in length and has a wingspan of 130–160 cm. Body mass is 1.04 kg for males and 1.3 kg for females on average. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.Wahlberg's Eagle breeds in most of Africa south of...
, Aquila wahlbergi - Wedge-tailed EagleWedge-tailed EagleThe Wedge-tailed Eagle , sometimes known as the Eaglehawk in its native range, is the largest bird of prey in Australia, but it is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail...
, Aquila audax- Tasmanian Wedge-tailed EagleTasmanian Wedge-tailed EagleThe Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is an endangered bird of Tasmania. It is a subspecies of the more common Wedge-tailed Eagle.-Description:...
, Aquila audax fleayi
- Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle
Fossil record
Numerous fossilFossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
taxa of eagles have been described. Many have been moved to other genera, but several appear correctly assigned to this genus:
- Aquila bullockensisAquila bullockensisAquila bullockensis is an extinct species of large true eagles in the Accipitridae family. A. bullockensis is related to the living species A. audax to which it might be ancestral. The species is solely known from the distal end of a right humerus found in the Middle Miocene , Bullock Creek...
(Middle MioceneMioceneThe Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, Bullock CreekBullock CreekThe Bullock Creek Fossil site is one of three known vertebrate fossil sites in the Australia's Northern Territory, along with the Alcoota Fossil Beds on Alcoota Station and the Kangaroo Well site on Deep Well Station. It is located about 550km south-southeast of Darwin, on Camfield Station...
, Australia) - ?Aquila delphinensis (Middle/Late Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France)
- ?Aquila pennatoides (Middle/Late Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France)
- Aquila sp. (Late Miocene - Late PliocenePlioceneThe Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
of S Europe) - Aquila sp. (Early Pliocene of Florida)
- Aquila bivia (Late Pliocene of S USA)
- Aquila sp. (Middle PleistocenePleistoceneThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
of CastiglioneCastiglione, Haute-CorseCastiglione is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
) - ?Aquila fossilis (Middle/Late Pleistocene of Monte RealeMonte RealeMonte Reale is a mountain of the Ligurian Apennines. It is located in the Province of Genoa along the watershed between the basin of the Scrivia Torrent and that of the Vobbia, its tributary to the right...
, SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
) - ?Aquila sp. (Late QuaternaryQuaternaryThe Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
, MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
)
It is not clear whether "Hieraaetus
Hieraaetus
The genus Hieraaetus, sometimes known as hawk-eagles, denoted a group of smallish eagles usually placed in the Buteoninae subfamily of accipitrids....
" edwardsi (Middle -? Late Miocene of SW Europe) belongs into Aquila or the hawk-eagles (if the latter are indeed distinct). Its initial name, "Aquila" minuta Milne-Edwards, 1871, is preoccupied by a junior synonym of the Booted Eagle
Booted Eagle
The Booted Eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey. It is about in length and has a wingspan of . Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae....
, Aquila minuta Brehm, 1831.
Not placed in Aquila anymore are:
- "Aquila" gervaisii – now in Palaeohierax
- "Aquila" borrasi, "A." sodalis – now in ButeogallusButeogallusButeogallus is a genus of bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. All members of this genus are essentially Neotropical, but the distribution of a single species extends slightly into extreme southern USA. Most are known as black-hawks or mangrove-hawks...
. B. borrasi was long placed in TitanohieraxTitanohieraxTitanohierax is an fossil genus of giant hawk from Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas. It has one known species, Titanohierax gloveralleni. The extinct crab-hawk Buteogallus borrasi was formerly placed in this genus....
. - "Aquila" pliogryps – now in SpizaetusSpizaetusSpizaetus is the typical hawk-eagle birds of prey genus found in the tropics of the Americas. It was however used to indicate a group of tropical eagles that included species occurring in southern and southeastern Asia and one representative of this genus in the rainforests of West Africa. The Old...
- "Aquila" corroyi, "A." depredator, "A." hypogaea and "A." prisca – now in Aquilavus
- "Aquila" ferox, "A." lydekkeri – protostrigid owlOwlOwls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, now in Minerva.
"Aquila" danana (Snake Creek Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Loup Fork, USA), occasionally placed in Geranoaetus or Buteo
Buteo
Buteo is a genus of medium to fairly large, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings. In the Old World, members of this genus are called "buzzards", but "hawk" is used in North America...
, was a bird of prey of unclear relationships.
For paleosubspecies of living Aquila, see the species accounts.