WEDGE TAILED EAGLE By Daniel and Lewis
The Wedge tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia. It lives in all parts of Australia.
| There are 48 kinds of eagles in the world and three species
of eagles in Australia. The magnificent wedge-tailed eagle, a superb flier, is the
king of our Australian skies. The wedge tail's closest relative is the
golden eagle and the gurney eagle.
This impressive bird of prey spends much of its day perching in trees, cliffs or on rocks, looking over its territory. Every so often, it takes off and soars high in the air, circling and looking for its next meal. The wedge tail can sore to enormous heights of 2,000 meters when searching for food. It has a huge wing span of up to 2.5 meters. |
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FACT FILE The Female wedge- tail is heavier than the male. The female has a weight of 4.2kg the male has a weight of 3.2kg. It is the fourth largest species of its kind. Young eagles fly in flocks called rogues. Feathers are constructed of thousands of barbs, which grow out of a
central shaft or Quill. The Wedge tail eagle has a diet of field mice, rabbits, young dingoes, reptiles and other birds. |
| As the breeding season approaches from
April to December, the female wedge-tail will lay 2 eggs blotched
with purple and brown markings. The wedge Tail has a nest of mainly sticks
and fresh leaves.
The wedge tail lives all over Australia breeding from Tasmania up to Queensland and in Western Australia and Northern Australia. |
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Did you know? The Eagle is one of the most powerful birds in the
world. Eagles are very afraid of humans and rarely attack them, but an eagle may dive at people who come too close to its nest and may strike with its talons. |
