Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti)

Despite being geographically isolated from the Imperial Eagles of Central and Eastern Europe, and being larger and distinctively plumaged, the Imperial Eagles of Spain have only been elevated to full species status fairly recently. Their world range is tiny, and they are currently classed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

By José Antonio Lagier Martin – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74215438

Spanish Imperial Eagles differ from Eastern Imperial Eagles in several ways. They are non-migratory, for example, with only the young dispersing at the end of the breeding season. Their main food is rabbits, rather than smaller mammals. And they are much less sociable than Eastern Imperial Eagles, chasing rivals away from their territories rather than tolerating them. Otherwise they live in similar habitats, and acquire their prey in similar ways.

The scene at the nest of a Spanish Imperial Eagle has a greater degree of harmony than is usual among eagles. The male, for example, feeds the young more often than in other species, and the young are less likely to do battle with each other to the death.

From ‘Birds: A Complete Guide to All British and European Species’, by Dominic Couzens. Published by Collins and reproduced with permission.