Spanish Imperial Eagle
A species of Greater True Eagles, Also known as Iberian Imperial Eagle Scientific name : Aquila adalberti Genus : Greater True Eagles
Spanish Imperial Eagle, A species of Greater True Eagles
Also known as:
Iberian Imperial Eagle
Botanical name: Aquila adalberti
Genus: Greater True Eagles
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Juan lacruz , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original 
Description
This is a large raptor and fairly large eagle, broadly similar in size to its cousin, the eastern imperial eagle, which is found in a considerably different distributional range. Compared to sympatric largish booted eagles, it is somewhat smaller than the golden eagle and somewhat larger than the Bonelli's eagle. Spanish imperial eagle can weigh from 2.5 to 4.8 kg (5.5 to 10.6 lb), with average weights ranging from 3.19 to 3.93 kg (7.0 to 8.7 lb). This species has a total length of 74 to 85 cm (29 to 33 in) and a wingspan of 177 to 220 cm (5 ft 10 in to 7 ft 3 in). The adult resembles the eastern imperial eagle and can superficially suggest the golden eagle (especially when distantly seen), but is overall a darker color than either, a rich blackish-brown which extends all the way to the throat. Like the eastern imperial, the adult has a broad distinctive white band on the shoulder and leading edge of the wing and a much paler tawny color on the nape and crown, unlike the golden-yellow color on a similar area in the golden eagle. The juvenile Spanish imperial eagle is very different from adults and other large raptors in this range, being overall a uniform pale straw-sandy colour, contrasting with broad black bands on both the upper and lower sides of the wings. Smaller than the relatively small race of golden eagle found in the Iberian peninsula, it is somewhat slighter and slenderer in appearance compared to the more powerful golden species, with a relatively longer neck, and generally much flatter wing profile in flight than the upturned dihedral typical of a golden eagle. 
Size
85 cm
Life Expectancy
45 years
Habitat
The spanish Imperial Eagle predominantly inhabits forest regions characterized by an undergrowth of Cistus, Erica, and Phyllyrea shrubs, although it can adapt to open landscapes with sparse tree coverage. Preferring a Mediterranean climate, it thrives in environments with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. While non-breeding individuals often resort to open habitats like crop fields and grasslands, populations in northwestern Africa also make use of desert and savanna ecosystems. A recent population increase has led to an expansion into more open and diverse habitats.
Dite type
Carnivorous
General Info
Species Status
The species is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. Threats include loss of habitat, human encroachment, collisions with pylons (at some point in the early 1980s, powerlines were responsible for 80% of deaths among birds in their first year of life) and illegal poisoning. There has also been a decline in the species' main prey: rabbits have been kept at bay or even declined in some of the areas where the eagle is or could be present as a result of myxomatosis and, most recently, rabbit haemorrhagic disease. By the 1960s it had become a critically endangered species, with only 30 pairs remaining, all located in Spain. Following conservation efforts, recovery began in the 1980s at a rate of five new breeding pairs per year up to 1994. Imperial eagles were nearly wiped out. In 2011, the species's global population had increased to 324 pairs, with 318 pairs in Spain. The species recolonised Portugal in 2003, after an absence of breeding activity for over 20 years, and has been slowly increasing since, with six breeding pairs located in 2011 and nine located in 2012. The population in Spain showed an average annual increase of c. 7% between 1990 and 2011. These positive trends are largely attributed to mitigation measures to reduce mortality associated with powerlines, supplementary feeding, reparation of nests, reintroductions and decreases in the disturbance of breeding birds, although some of the observed increases may be due to more thorough searches within its range.
Scientific Classification
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