Today our Birdorable Bonanza: 2015 Advent Edition continues with the largest bird of prey found in Australia, the Wedge-tailed Eagle!

Birdorable Wedge-tailed Eagle

Wedge-tailed Eagles are named for the unique shape of their tails. Across their range, which includes all of mainland Australia as well as Tasmania and southern New Guinea, they are fairly common. In fact, they are the most common of the world's large eagle species.

Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
Wedge-tailed Eagle by Ron Knight (CC BY 2.0)

Wedge-tailed Eagle
Wedge-tailed Eagle by James Niland (CC BY 2.0)

Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax)
Wedge-tailed Eagle by Patrick_K59 (CC BY 2.0)

Wedge-tailed Eagles are non-migratory and established mated pairs will defend their territory throughout the year, even outside of breeding season. Earlier this year a territorial Wedge-tailed Eagle was captured on video taking down a drone.

 

 

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is our 622nd Birdorable bird and our 44th cute Birdorable bird of prey. Our Bonanza continues tomorrow with an unusual Asian forest species with fire in its name. Can you guess tomorrow's species?

Cute Wedge-tailed Eagle Gifts

Happy Saturday! Today's Bonanza bird is the African Fish-Eagle.

African Fish-Eagle

African Fish-Eagles are large birds of prey that live in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. They eat a lot of fish (hence the name), but they will also steal prey from other birds or take a variety of other prey items including small turtles, other birds, or even monkeys.

Khalahi
African Fish-Eagle by Jason Wharam (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The African Fish-Eagle has a stable wild population in its rather large natural range. It is the national bird of three African nations: Zimbabwe, South Sudan, and Zambia.

african fish eagle

Tomorrow we'll add a stocky finch species with a very, very big beak. This bird is found across parts of Europe and Asia.

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2013 Bonanza Bird #10

The Long-Crested Eagle: A Striking Bird from Sub-Saharan Africa

As we continue our exciting journey towards our 500th Birdorable species, we're delighted to introduce a new bird each day. Today, we're proud to feature the Long-crested Eagle, a majestic bird of prey that adds a touch of wild elegance to our growing collection.

The Long-crested Eagle is a striking bird found in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Its preferred habitats include forested areas and the edges of forests, where it can take advantage of both open spaces and wooded cover. These eagles have also adapted to living in cultivated lands, demonstrating their versatility and ability to coexist in modified landscapes.

One of the most notable characteristics of the Long-crested Eagle is its vocal nature. These birds are not shy about making their presence known. They are known to be very vocal, emitting calls both in flight and while perched. Their calls become even more frequent and intense during the breeding season, serving as a means of communication between mates and a way to establish and defend their territory.

Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) by Lip Kee (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Long-crested Eagle is easily identifiable by its prominent crest, from which it gets its name. This crest, along with their striking plumage and formidable presence, makes them a fascinating species for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers.

Tomorrow's bird is a New World warbler named for what it eats, sort of.

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Cute Long-crested Eagle Gifts

Two new birds were recently added to our free coloring pages offering: Bald Eagle and Eastern Bluebird. Visit our free listing of Coloring Pages to download the PDF files for your own coloring fun.

Have you used our coloring pages at home, in your classroom, or at an event? We’d love to hear about it! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!

World Eagle Day

Today is World Eagle Day! That makes it a very good day to formally reveal our new, updated, super-cute Birdorable Bald Eagle. Of course, it is available on a wide variety of apparel and gifts! The Bald Eagle has been a symbol of the United States since it was chosen to be part of the Great Seal of the United States in 1782.

Birdorable Bald Eagle

The species was in peril in the late 20th century in part due to the use of the pesticide DDT, which was introduced into the environment and interfered with the ability for Bald Eagles and other species to process calcium in their bodies. Eggs laid by affected birds were too thin to support incubation. When DDT was banned, the species rebounded and was eventually removed from the USFW Endangered and Threatened Wildlife list in 2007. We are so happy that Bald Eagles are once again thriving across North America, and we hope they continue to do so forever.

Birdorable Eagle Products

Today's featured t-shirt is this funny Who are you calling Harpy? design with our Birdorable Harpy Eagle. A Harpy is a mythological Greek winged spirit known for stealing food. The Harpy Eagle is named for this mythological animal, but the word harpy is also used to describe a predatory person, or more commonly, a shrewish woman. Most women would probably not like to be called a Harpy, but fans of the amazing crested bird of prey probably don't mind. Our cute Birdorable Harpy Eagle stands here with the funny phrase "Who are you calling Harpy?"

Birdorable 191: Harpy Eagle

Cute Birdorable Harpy Eagle

Today's new bird in our 17-day-long Birdorable Bonanza is the American Harpy Eagle, a powerful raptor that can be found across Central and South America where it lives in the upper canopy layer of tropical rainforests. Unfortunately the Harpy Eagle is threatened due to habitat loss from logging. Hunting has wiped out lots of Harpy Eagle too, as it was seen as a threat to life stock and humans because of its large size. The National Institute of Amazonian Research in Brazil is currently conducting research at 45 known nesting locations that are being monitored by volunteers.

Harpy Eagle
Photo by Jose Garcia / Panama Birds (Source: Flickr)

Until the 31st of July we'll be adding a new bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza until we reach the 200th at the end of this month. Here's a preview of tomorrow's bird:

Preview of Birdorable 192