
Photo: (c) Fred Derks, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Aquila fasciata
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Diet
Vertebrates; an opportunistic predator of a wide variety of birds when staple prey is scarce
Habitat
Hilly or mountainous country with rocky walls or crags, from sea level to about 1,500m
Range
Southern Europe, the montane edge of the Sahara, and across the Indian subcontinent to Indonesia
Size
55–74cm
Bonelli's eagle is a fairly large bird of prey and a medium-sized eagle, 55–74 cm long, with a medium-sized head on a fairly long neck, a strong bill, a mid-to-longish tail and exceptionally long, well-feathered legs. The adult's head is dark brown with a paler, often streaky neck and a white throat. When perched, the wing tips fall a little short of the tail tip. The tail of young birds is more clearly barred than the adults' (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is usually a resident breeder, from southern Europe and the montane edge of the Sahara across the Indian subcontinent to Indonesia. It often occurs in hilly or mountainous country with rocky walls or crags, from sea level to 1,500 m. When staple prey declines or is scarce it switches to being an opportunistic predator of a wide variety of birds.