Fun Booted Eagle Facts For Kids

A booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) is a medium-sized buzzard-like bird of prey that has similar features to hawk eagles. They are a highly migratory species that have different preferences for breeding and wintering grounds.

The bird breeds in southern Europe, North Africa, and across central Asia, and in the winter, the species migrate to the east in tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

The eagle species fly at great heights and generally inhabit places like deep forests, countryside with some open area, and hill or mountain ledges where human habitations are relatively less.

In the breeding season, the female eagle lays one or two eggs. Booted eagles show distinctive morphs of two colors, dark morph, and pale morph, although the pale birds are commonly observed than the dark ones.

Like all hawk-eagle, the booted eagle species of genus Hieraaetus belongs to the family Accipitridae, but some researchers have reclassified them under the genus Aquila based on recent genetic research. For this reason, they are also called Aquila pennata.

To know more about these amazing living eagles, keep on reading these amazing facts. For similar content, you can check out the bald eagle and the hawk too.

Booted Eagle Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a booted eagle?

A booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) is a medium-sized eagle of the old world. They resemble both common buzzards and hawk eagles in appearance.

What class of animal does a booted eagle belong to?

The booted eagle (Aquila pennata) of Accipitriformes order belongs to the family Accipitridae and class Aves, the common class for all birds.

How many booted eagles are there in the world?

The booted eagle population is widespread in their large range, although the overall trend of growth or decrease is unknown. However, in Europe, this species of eagles are following an increasing population trend.

Europe accounts for 31% of the booted eagle's global population, and it is estimated that around 23,100-29,100 bird pairs are existing there.

Therefore the total booted eagle population is preliminarily estimated to be around 149,000-188,000 mature individuals. Some local disruptions in the bird's habitat like forest destruction, fewer prey choices, and human disturbances have started to affect this eagle species, but they are not evaluated as major threats to its population as of yet.

Where does a booted eagle live?

The species of booted eagle breeds in southern Europe and enters North West Africa through East Europe. From there, they extend to central Asia through Asia Minor and Caucasus.

They move towards east and southeast Asia in winter populating the east and northeastern parts of China. Further south in Asia, they are found in North India and Pakistan. Some eagles also fly to the south of Africa to the western and eastern cape and north Namibia, leaving behind a scarce population in southern Europe and North Africa.

What is a booted eagle's habitat?

The booted eagle prefers wooded, often hilly countryside like open woods or hilly forests. The eagle can fly as high as 9842 ft (3000 m) above the ground. They are extremely compatible birds and can adapt to almost any type of habitat except dense forests. They make their nests in isolated trees, on cliffs and ledges, or in thickets.

Who does a booted eagle live with?

The species of booted eagle are either found in solitude, or they live in pairs. They migrate in very small flocks that consist of only four or five eagles and prefer to stay away from other raptors at the time of migration.

Their breeding nests are built close to each other, where they roost in small groups. Foraging and hunting expeditions usually occur in pairs.

How long does a booted eagle live?

The longest lifespan of 12 years was recorded in one captive bird of the species of booted eagle.

How do they reproduce?

The booted eagle (Aquila pennata) laying season varies according to their places of occurrence. The northern birds lay around April or May, while the laying season extends till September in the south.

They build large nets made up of plant matter and reuse their nests to breed for several years. The female eagle lays one to two eggs normally, but sometimes three eggs are also found.

The females take upon the responsibility of incubating the eggs while the males bring food for the female for this entire period. The chicks grow very fast after they emerge from the eggs after an incubation period of 37-40 days.

Both the parents care for the chicks until they leave the nest. Fledging occurs after 50-54 days.

What is their conservation status?

The booted eagle (Aquila pennata) is listed as a species of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Their large range does not let them fall under the threshold of Vulnerable species.

They are currently not extinct neither threatened by any major cause, although their population might be declining in some local areas because of human development. However, they have a moderate-to-large population worldwide.

Booted Eagle Fun Facts

What do booted eagles look like?

The booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) has two morphs: dark morph and pale morph. The dark morph is uncommon than the lighter morphs.

The bird might look black in this morph, but it actually has dark brown upper parts with a white forehead and pale tail. In the light morph, they mainly have white feathers.

The upper parts are dark gray, while the underparts look whitish. In its dark morph, the bird looks similar to the species of the black kite, while the pale birds might be confused with the Egyptian vultures.

How cute are they?

The booted eagles are birds of prey that look sharp and intelligent rather than puffy and cute.

How do they communicate?

The eagle remains silent for most of the time, but they frequently call during the breeding season. The bird communicates using a three noted shrill or whistle.

How big is a booted eagle?

The average length of a booted eagle (Aquila pennata) is 18 in (47 cm). They are similar in length to the black kite. Compared to the red kite, they are small as red kites are 23-25 in (58-64 cm) long.

How fast can a booted eagle move?

The exact speed of the booted eagle has not been determined; however, they can soar high up in the sky.

How much does a booted eagle weigh?

The average weight of the male species is 1.5 lb (700 g), and that of the female species is 2 lb (1 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and the female species are referred to as cocks and hens respectively.

What would you call a baby booted eagle?

The babies of the booted eagle species are called chicks.

What do they eat?

These birds are strict carnivores. The diet of the booted eagles consists of small mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Are they poisonous?

No, the species of booted eagle is not poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

They do not make good household pets. However, these raptors might be used for falconry under proper trainers.

Did you know...

The booted eagle spends most of the time flying in the sky.

Why is it called a booted eagle?

They are referred to as booted eagles because their whole body is covered with feathers up to the claws on their feet.

Are they predators?

Yes, they are strictly carnivorous predators that prey on small birds like pigeons, fowls, or mammals like squirrels, mice, and rabbits. Sometimes they also feed on reptiles and insects.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our toco toucan facts and birds-of-paradise facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable booted eagle coloring pages.