Booted Eagle
| Booted Eagle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Aquila |
| Species: | A. pennata |
| Binomial name | |
| Aquila pennata (Gmelin, 1788) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) (formerly Hieraaetus pennatus) is a medium-sized bird of prey. It is about 48 centimetres (19 in) in length and has a wingspan of 120 centimetres (47 in). Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae.
It breeds in southern Europe, North Africa and acrossAsia. It is migratory, wintering in Sub-Saharan Africaand South Asia. This eagle lays 1-2 eggs in a tree or crag nest.
This is a species of wooded, often hilly countryside with some open areas. It hunts small mammals, reptiles andbirds up to 5 times its own weight.
The Booted is a small eagle, comparable to theCommon Buzzard in size though more eagle-like in shape. Males grow to about 700 grams (1.5 lbs) inweight, with females close to 1 kilogram (over 2 lb), making it the smallest bird in the Aquila genus and among the smallest species of eagle. There are two relatively distinct plumage forms. Pale birds are mainly light grey with a darker head and flight feathers. The other form has mid-brown plumage with dark grey flight feathers.
The call is a shrill kli-kli-kli.
Recent genetic research resulted in the reclassification of this species to the genus Aquila fromHieraaetus. As it is the type species of Hieraaetus, should any of the hawk-eagles be retained in a distinct genus a new name for that group would be necessary.
Along with the Little Eagle this bird is one of the closest living relatives of the extinct Haast's Eagle of New Zealand.
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