Gurney's eagle (''Aquila gurneyi'') is a large

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

in the family Accipitridae. It is found in New Guinea and Wallacea, and is an occasional vagrant to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819–1890).

Description

This eagle is a fairly large species, though mid-sized as a member of the genus ''Aquila''. It is mainly dark brown to black, with paler undersides to its flight feathers and a rounded tail. Its body length is with a wingspan of between . Females are larger than males. One immature female weighed . Males are estimated to weigh about in this species.Parry, S. J. (2001). ''The booted eagles (Aves: Accipitridae): perspectives in evolutionary biology''. University of London, University College London (United Kingdom). Its wings are held level when gliding. It feeds on

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s (such as cuscuses),

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s, fish, and birds. Juveniles have brown scapular feathers, wing coverts, and back, mottled with gray and buff. The black tail is faintly barred, and the head and underparts are light brown fading into a cream-colored belly and legs.

Range and habitat

Gurney's eagle is found from the Moluccas to Irian Jaya and most of New Guinea, from sea level to 1500 meters above sea level. It has been recorded from Saibai and

Boigu Boigu Island (also known as Malu Kiyay or Malu Kiwai) is the most northerly inhabited island of Queensland and of Australia. It is part of the Top Western group of the Torres Strait Islands, which lie in the Torres Strait separating Cape York Pe ...

islands in north-western Torres Strait, thus putting it on the

n bird list. it inhabits a wide range of habitats from sea level to the snow line.

Conservation

Gurney's eagle occurs at low population densities and is likely to be declining slowly through habitat loss and degradation. It is considered to be Near Threatened and is listed on CITES Appendix II.

References

Works cited

* BirdLife International (2006). Species factsheet: ''Aquila gurneyi''. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/12/2006 * Coates, B.J. (1985). ''The Birds of Papua New Guinea, Vol. 1, Non-Passerines.'' Dove: Alderley, Queensland. * Morcombe, Michael (2000). ''Field Guide to Australian Birds.'' Steve Parish Publishing: Queensland. {{Taxonbar, from=Q593442

Gurney's eagle Gurney's eagle (''Aquila gurneyi'') is a large eagle in the family Accipitridae. It is found in New Guinea and Wallacea, and is an occasional vagrant to Australia. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur or ...

Birds of the Maluku Islands Birds of prey of New Guinea