Aquila fasciata

The Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an exploration of Sardinia.Aimassi, G. (2015). The original description of Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata Vieillot (Aves: Accipitridae). Zoological Bibliography, 4(1), 1-15. Some antiquated texts also refer to this species as the crestless hawk-eagle.Jerdon, T. C. (1862). The birds of India (Vol. 1). Like all eagles, Bonelli's eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs marked it as member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. This species breeds from Southern Europe, Africa on the montane perimeter of the Sahara Desert and across the Indian Subcontinent to Indonesia. On Eurasia, this species may be found as far west as Portugal and as far east as southeastern China and Thailand. It is usually a resident breeder. The Bonelli's eagle is often found in hilly or mountainous habitats, with rocky walls or crags, from sea level to 1500 m. Habitats are often open to wooded land and can occur in arid to semi-moist climate. This eagle, though it can be considered partially opportunistic, is something of a special predator of certain birds and mammals, especially rabbits, galliforms and pigeons.Ontiveros, D., Pleguezuelos, J. M., & Caro, J. (2005). Prey density, prey detectability and food habits: the case of Bonelli’s eagle and the conservation measures. Biological Conservation, 123(1), 19-25. On evidence, when staple prey populations decline or are locally scarce, Bonelli's eagle switch to being an opportunistic predator of a wide variety of birds.Moleón, M., Sánchez-Zapata, J. A., Gil-Sánchez, J. M., Ballesteros-Duperón, E., Barea-Azcón, J. M., & Virgós, E. (2012). Predator–prey relationships in a Mediterranean vertebrate system: Bonelli’s eagles, rabbits and partridges. Oecologia, 168(3), 679-689. Despite its persistence over a large range and its continued classification as a least concern species by the IUCN, the Bonelli's eagle has declined precipitously in various parts of its range, including almost all of its European distribution, and may face potential local extinction. The species' declines are due to widespread habitat destruction, electrocution from electricity pylons as well as persistent persecution.López-López, P., Sarà, M., & Di Vittorio, M. (2012). Living on the edge: assessing the extinction risk of critically endangered Bonelli’s Eagle in Italy. PLOS ONE, 7(5), e37862.Sanchez-Alonso, C. & Real J. 2005. [Bonelli's Eagle in a state of emergency]. Garcilla, 122: 6-9.

No narrative description available for this taxon yet.