# Wedge-tailed Eagle (*Aquila audax*)

The wedge-tailed eagle (*Aquila audax*) is a bird of the family Accipitridae, in the order Accipitriformes.

> The wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) is Australia's largest bird of prey, with a wingspan of 1.8–2.5 m and a long, diamond-shaped tail. Adults are dark brown to almost black. It lives across mainland Australia, Tasmania and southern New Guinea, hunting rabbits, wallabies and other animals and eating carrion. It is listed as Least Concern, though the Tasmanian subspecies is much rarer.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Mainland Australia, Tasmania and southern New Guinea.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wedge-tailed-eagle/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Accipitriformes
- **Family:** Accipitridae
- **Genus:** Aquila

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Aquila audax |
| Diet | Rabbits, wallabies, birds, reptiles and carrion |
| Habitat | Most open and wooded country, from deserts to mountains |
| Size | Wingspan 1.8–2.5 m |
| Weight | 2.5–5.3 kg |
| Lifespan | Banded wild bird about 11 years; up to 40 in captivity |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2025) |

## Identification

Wedge-tailed eagles are large, long-winged eagles with feathered legs and a distinctive long tail shaped like a wedge or diamond. Adults are blackish-brown with paler nape feathers; young birds are lighter and golden-brown, darkening over several years.

## Hunting and scavenging

They hunt rabbits, hares, young kangaroos and wallabies, birds and reptiles, sometimes working in pairs or groups to tackle larger prey, and they readily feed on roadkill and other carcasses.

## Where it lives

The species is found across almost all of mainland Australia and Tasmania and in southern New Guinea. Pairs build huge stick nests in tall trees, adding to them over many years.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the wedge-tailed eagle as Least Concern (2025); the population size and trend are not well known. The Tasmanian subspecies, A. a. fleayi, is far rarer and protected as Endangered in Australia because of nest disturbance, collisions and persecution.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the largest bird of prey in Australia?

The wedge-tailed eagle, with a wingspan of up to about 2.5 m.

### Why is it called a wedge-tailed eagle?

For its long tail, which is shaped like a wedge or diamond and is easy to see in flight.

### Is the wedge-tailed eagle endangered?

The species overall is Least Concern, but the Tasmanian subspecies is listed as Endangered in Australia.

### What do wedge-tailed eagles eat?

Rabbits, hares, small kangaroos and wallabies, birds, reptiles and carrion.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/wedge-tailed-eagle-aquila-audax)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Aquila audax. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aquila_audax/)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Wedge-tailed Eagle

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wedge-tailed-eagle/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.