Eastern Imperial Eagle

Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809

80 cmLength200 cmWingspan3.1 kgWeight

The dark brown adult has two bright white epaulette-like patches on its scapulars.

Busiest months: November–February · Most records: India, China, Iran

Looks like Golden Eagle

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Adult has conspicuous white patches on scapulars
Adult mostly blackish-brown
Adult crown and nape creamy-white to golden yellowish-brown
Adult has a broad black band near the tail tip

Male, female and young

Female usually larger; juvenile mostly pale yellowish-brown to sandy-yellow, with dark brown streaks on throat and breast.

Similar species

Golden Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle is usually smaller and more slender, but has a proportionately larger head and neck.

Where and when it's recorded

Eastern Imperial Eagle has been recorded at 353 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 48 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

India China Iran Israel Hungary Azerbaijan Kuwait Slovakia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South and East Asia. Like all eagles, the eastern imperial eagle is a member of the family Accipitridae.

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