Bonelli's eagle is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli. Bonelli is credited with gathering the type specimen, most likely from an exploration of Sardinia. Like all eagles, Bonelli's eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs marked it as member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. This species breeds from southern Europe, Africa on the montane perimeter of the Sahara Desert, and across the Indian Subcontinent to Indonesia. In Eurasia, this species may be found as far west as Portugal and as far east as southeastern China and Thailand. It is usually a resident breeder.
Region
Mediterranean Basin to South Asia
Typical Environment
Found from the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa through the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia and southern China. It favors rugged landscapes with cliffs, escarpments, and canyons interspersed with open woodland, scrub, and mosaics of farmland. In western parts of its range it increasingly nests in large trees where cliffs are scarce. Juveniles disperse widely across lowlands and foothills before settling to breed. It avoids dense closed forests and very open deserts.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3000 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bonelli's eagle is a powerful cliff- and tree-nesting raptor named after the Italian naturalist Franco Andrea Bonelli. Adults show a distinctive white mantle patch on the back visible in flight, and heavily barred underparts. It preys largely on medium-sized birds and mammals, often using surprise attacks along rugged slopes. Populations in parts of Europe have declined due to persecution, electrocution, and habitat loss, prompting intensive conservation measures.
Perched on a tree near a wetland in Biligiriranga Hills
Bonelli's eagles are medium-sized eagles and have distinctly elongated legs and massive feet and talons.
Juvenile Bonelli's eagle in flight, in rural Sangli district.
An adult Bonelli's eagle in flight shows its ample white mantle.
Sierra de las Nieves, Andalucia
Pair of Bonelli's eagle at Raigad
A Bonelli's eagle that has caught a rock dove, one of the favoured prey species.
European rabbits are strongly favoured prey for Bonelli's eagles in western Europe.
Bonelli's eagle with a freshly caught grey junglefowl. Gamebirds such as junglefowl are favoured in the diet whenever available.
A Bonelli's eagle being mobbed by house crows in Pakistan, as the eagle is a common predator of corvids.
While other birds of prey present some competition for Bonelli's eagles, intraspecific conflicts are the most significant. Here an adult escorts out a wandering juvenile from its range.
mating on the Southern bank of the Chambal River, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Paired Bonelli's eagles
A Bonelli's eagle's egg, from the collection Museum Wiesbaden
Aquila fasciata – MHNT
Fully fledged juvenile eagles lingering in the vicinity of their nest.
Bonelli's eagle feeding its eaglet with a partridge.
Artwork from a 19th-century German Natural History book
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
soaring glider with powerful flaps
Social Behavior
Typically forms long-term pair bonds and defends large territories centered on a cliff or tall tree nest. Pairs perform aerial displays during courtship and often reuse and refurbish the same nest over multiple years. Clutches usually contain 1–2 eggs, with the larger chick often outcompeting the smaller when food is scarce.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet away from the nest, it gives sharp, ringing whistles and yelps during territorial displays or near the eyrie. Calls become more frequent during courtship and when adults exchange duties at the nest.
