Spanish Imperial Eagle

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Spanish Imperial Eagle

The Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle (Aquila adalberti) is closely related to the Eastern Imperial Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle

The Imperial Eagle, Aquila heliaca, is very similar to the Golden Eagle, although slightly smaller . Like all eagles, A. heliaca belongs to the bird of prey family Accipitridae....
(Aquila heliaca). It occurs only in the south and west of Spain

Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
and possibly northern Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
. Until recently (Sangster et al., 2002), the Spanish Imperial Eagle was considered to be a subspecies

Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
of the Imperial Eagle

Imperial Eagle

Imperial Eagle may refer to* a former bird species which has now been split into two separate species:** Eastern Imperial Eagle** Spanish Imperial Eagle...
, but is now widely regarded as being a separate species due to differences in morphology

Morphology (biology)

The term morphology in biology refers to form, structure and configuration of an organism. This includes aspects of the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs....
(Cramp & Simmons, 1980), ecology

Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
(Meyburg, 1994), and molecular characteristics (Seibold et al., 1996; Padilla et al., 1999).

The Spanish Imperial Eagle is smaller, at 2.5–3.5 kg (5.5–7.7 lbs) and 75–84 cm (30–33 in) long, and darker than its oriental cousin, and it is a resident species (A.

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Encyclopedia

The Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle (Aquila adalberti) is closely related to the Eastern Imperial Eagle
Eastern Imperial Eagle

The Imperial Eagle, Aquila heliaca, is very similar to the Golden Eagle, although slightly smaller . Like all eagles, A. heliaca belongs to the bird of prey family Accipitridae....
(Aquila heliaca). It occurs only in the south and west of Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
and possibly northern Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
. Until recently (Sangster et al., 2002), the Spanish Imperial Eagle was considered to be a subspecies
Subspecies

In biology, subspecies is the taxonomic rank immediately subordinate to a species. A subspecies is a taxonomic group which is less distinct than the Common descent or species from which it originates....
of the Imperial Eagle
Imperial Eagle

Imperial Eagle may refer to* a former bird species which has now been split into two separate species:** Eastern Imperial Eagle** Spanish Imperial Eagle...
, but is now widely regarded as being a separate species due to differences in morphology
Morphology (biology)

The term morphology in biology refers to form, structure and configuration of an organism. This includes aspects of the outward appearance as well as the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs....
(Cramp & Simmons, 1980), ecology
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
(Meyburg, 1994), and molecular characteristics (Seibold et al., 1996; Padilla et al., 1999).

The Spanish Imperial Eagle is smaller, at 2.5–3.5 kg (5.5–7.7 lbs) and 75–84 cm (30–33 in) long, and darker than its oriental cousin, and it is a resident species (A. heliaca migrates to the southeast during winter). This eagle feeds mainly on rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
s, but it can prey on many other animals, such as rodent
Rodent

Rodentia is an Order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing Incisors#The_Rodent_incisor in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, hare
Hare

Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Very young hares, less than one year old, are called leverets....
s, pigeons, crow
Crow

The true crows are large passerine birds that form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small dove-sized jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several offsh...
s, duck
Duck

Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article; they do not represent a clade but a form taxon, being the Anatidae not considered swans and goose....
s and fox
Fox

A fox is an animal belonging to any one of about 27 species of small to medium-sized Canidae, characterized by possessing a long, narrow snout, and a bushy tail, or brush....
es. The species is classified as Vulnerable. Threats include loss of habitat and illegal poisoning. There has also been a decline in the Spanish rabbit population, as a result of myxomatosis
Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a disease which affects rabbits. It is caused by the Myxoma virus. First observed in Uruguay in the late 1800s, it was deliberately introduced into Australia in 1950 in an attempt to control rabbit infestation and population there; see rabbits in Australia....
and other viral illnesses. The current population is estimated at less than 500.

In 2006 there were around 220 pairs reported in Spain and 2 in Portugal, and it is making a very slow recovery although it is still an endangered species. A small population is preserved in Doñana National Park
Doñana National Park

Do?ana National Park , also called Coto de Do?ana, is a national park and wildlife refuge in southwestern Spain....
, Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
(descendants from only seven pairs in 1970: Schuhmacher, 1973) but the bulk of its population live in the Mediterranean woods of the central and southwestern quarters of the country.

In February 2009 one male of the extremely rare Portugal population was shot.

The binomial commemorates Adalbert of Prussia
Adalbert of Prussia

Heinrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Hohenzollern was a Kingdom of Prussia prince from the House of Hohenzollern, naval theorist, and admiral. Adalbert was instrumental during the Revolutions of 1848 in founding the first unified German fleet, the Reichsflotte....
.

Footnotes

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