Aquila (genus)

Aquila is the genus of true eagles. It is often united with the buteos, sea eagles and other more heavyset Accipitridae, but more recently it appears as if they are less distinct from the more slender accipitrine hawks than believed. Eagles are not a natural group but denote essentially any bird of prey large enough to hunt sizeable (about 50 cm long or more overall) vertebrate prey.

Species

 * Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis
 * Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax
 * Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti
 * Eastern Imperial Eagle, Aquila heliaca
 * Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos
 * Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Aquila africana
 * Bonelli's Eagle, Aquila fasciata - formerly Hieraaetus fasciatus
 * African Hawk-Eagle, Aquila spilogaster
 * Verreaux's Eagle, Aquila verreauxii
 * Gurney's Eagle, Aquila gurneyi
 * Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax
 * Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax fleayi

In other genera

 * Booted Eagle, Aquila pennata - formerly Hieraaetus pennatus
 * Rufous-bellied Eagle, Aquila kienerii - formerly Hieraaetus kienerii
 * Greater Spotted Eagle, Aquila clanga - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus
 * Lesser Spotted Eagle, Aquila pomarina - to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus
 * Indian Spotted Eagle, Aquila hastata - recently split from A. pomarina, to be moved to Lophaetus or Ictinaetus
 * Wahlberg's Eagle, Aquila wahlbergi

Fossil record
Numerous fossil taxa of eagles have been described. Many have been moved to other genera, but several appear correctly assigned to this genus:


 * Aquila bullockensis (Middle Miocene, Bullock Creek, Australia)
 * ?Aquila delphinensis (Middle/Late Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France)
 * ?Aquila pennatoides (Middle/Late Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France)
 * Aquila sp. (Late Miocene - Late Pliocene of S Europe)
 * Aquila sp. (Early Pliocene of Florida)
 * Aquila bivia (Late Pliocene of S USA)
 * Aquila sp. (Middle Pleistocene of Castiglione, Corsica)
 * ?Aquila fossilis (Middle/Late Pleistocene of Monte Reale, Sardinia)
 * ?Aquila sp. (Late Quaternary, Madagascar)

It is not clear whether "Hieraaetus" edwardsi (Middle -? Late Miocene of SW Europe) belongs into Aquila or the hawk-eagles (if the latter are indeed distinct). Its initial name, "Aquila" minuta Milne-Edwards, 1871, is preoccupied by a junior synonym of the Booted Eagle, Aquila minuta Brehm, 1831.

Not placed in Aquila anymore are:
 * "Aquila" gervaisii – now in Palaeohierax
 * "Aquila" borrasi, "A." sodalis – now in Buteogallus. B. borrasi was long placed in Titanohierax.
 * "Aquila" pliogryps – now in Spizaetus
 * "Aquila" corroyi, "A." depredator, "A." hypogaea and "A." prisca – now in Aquilavus
 * "Aquila" ferox, "A." lydekkeri – protostrigid owls, now in Minerva.

"Aquila" danana (Snake Creek Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Loup Fork, USA), occasionally placed in Geranoaetus or Buteo, was a bird of prey of unclear relationships.

For paleosubspecies of living Aquila, see the species accounts.