Wedge Tailed Eagle facts: the largest birds of prey in Australia | Animal Fact Files
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- On this episode of Animal Fact Files discover some of the biggest birds of prey living in Australia.
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Image and Video Credits:
John Gowland - • Wedge-tailed Eagle
norm clarke - • Wedgie Feeding
OneTrueLivingGod - • Wedgetail Eagles Somer...
Francesco Veronesi - www.flickr.com/photos/frances...
Rod Waddington - www.flickr.com/photos/rod_wad... www.flickr.com/photos/rod_wad...
Laurie Boyle - www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423... www.flickr.com/photos/9238423...
patrickkavanagh - www.flickr.com/photos/patrick... www.flickr.com/photos/patrick... www.flickr.com/photos/patrick...
Mike Prince - www.flickr.com/photos/mikepri...
Jim Bendon - www.flickr.com/photos/jim_ben...
Mark Gillow - www.flickr.com/photos/2834260...
James Niland - www.flickr.com/photos/2502766...
Ron Knight - www.flickr.com/photos/sussexb...
Lip Kee - www.flickr.com/photos/lipkee/...
Sascha Wenninger - www.flickr.com/photos/sufw/47...
Cazz - www.flickr.com/photos/cazzjj/... www.flickr.com/photos/cazzjj/...
Aviceda - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi... commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Peter Halasz - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Sue Allen - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
JJ Harrison - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
kangaroovindaloo - freesound.org/people/kangaroo...
Research Credits:
animaldiversity.org/accounts/...
www.globalraptors.org/grin/Spe...
www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR9800433
www.publish.csiro.au/CW/CWR970...
www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/a...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/a...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...
www.publish.csiro.au/mu/MU98003
www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR9860245
www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...
You know one of these is flying over where I live when all the other birds go dead silent, even the chickens, ducks, etc. in backyards, that's how scared they are of them.
And rightfully so. I saw one grab a small pig from a farm I was on.
Even those mongrel nest raiding cuckoos that fly down from Papua New Guinea once every year STFU when Wedgey glides over.
Remember heading to work and usually you could hear all farm animals having a good yarn, but that morning it was dead silent and then I noticed a giant shadow of a bird on the ground 😶🤣🤣🤣
@@davidcurr6221 We used to get a hawk that sometimes hung out in our backyard to eat a pigeon or a rat. You knew when they where around because the bloody lorakeets would finally shut the f*** up. Cos yeah, old Hawkey would eat those little bastards too
I've seen this happen too! Dead silence all of a sudden.
Here's 2 other fun facts for you. Wedge Tailed Eagles defend their homes from ANYTHING. They've been documented to take on small helicopters, planes and parachute gliders. They're also on the Australian SASR special forces Coat of Arms. They're just that badass.
I love Badass birds 😎
Yeah, they're certainly badass, and (in my opinion) sadly underrated by us in Oz.
2nd Cavalry Regiment have always got one called Courage as a mascot. The most recent Courage famously beat the shit out of a US Marine during Talisman Sabre when he got to close to get his picture taken.
Can confirm. I’m a pilot in Australia and they don’t even think twice about swooping my plane in flight
Also drones. They destroy mining drones.
Wedge tail was gliding over my car today while driving. Loved the moment, thank you Mr.Eagle Rock
That must have been thrilling to experience!
Went to Woodgate last week which is near Bundaberg in QLD, and there was a wedge tail flying over with a smaller baby eagle flying with it while I was fishing. Gorgeous animals they are.
there a quite a few around my area in West Australia .because they are so huge they are slow to take off but get going quickly there after . They are so big in appearance on the highway it looks as though if you see one standing up the road you would think it were a large person sitting down ..Just amazing .I saw one actually land at the airport one day which was kind of hilarious
Oh my gosh that sounds like the makings of a good horror story! I wish I could see one in real life, that would be an amazing experience. How funny you saw one land at the airport! I bet they have to be careful when the birds are around!
I live in Queensland near the cold cost and I see at least 1 or 2 of these in the sky on average most days
@@AnimalFactFiles They have spotters at the tower and they incorporate speaker systems in the trees that sound like gun shots to move them on.But his is mostly for the average bird ,these eagles may appear a few times a year looking for food .Its more often they are found away from suburbs.But a year ago we had one land in our back yard after out chook .They have some kind of fearlessness to them but you can shake them up by yelling and it took flight to the roof ,then away
Yes in the Pilbara you'd see them on the side of the road between the towns, willing you to hit something so it can eat. They ain't dumb.
Butyfull eagle one of a kind.
Thank you for posting this, this has been the most informative and well put together video on wedge tailed eagles I've found so far.
We're happy you found it so informative. =)
My brother was driving out west in his work van which is so huge it won't fit in any garage or parking lot. He pulled over to watch a wedge tail feeding. When it stretched its wings to take off its wingspan was longer then his van. So cool.
Wow! What a majestic sight!!
There’s plenty in NSW. They are a very alpha looking bird, nothing can match them.
Even on the Urban Fringe of Sydney we have them, I just saw one on Saturday 28.09.2019, all the local Noisy Minor birds were doing their warning calls.
It was so high in the sky flying over riding the Thermals.
Yep have them in he Urban Fringes of Sydney, I was watching one riding the Thermals on Saturday 29.09.2019
Plenty in and around Newcastle.
Almost always being plagued by smaller birds.
@@Hutcho72 Yeah. The mynah (and other) birds know to shut up when the eagles are about.
@@mikeparkes7922 Yep you can hear a pin drop when there is something big around.
Though sometimes the Cockatoos sqawking in panic give it away.
That is how I knew the White Bellied Sea Eagle flew over.
I remember seeing one while bushwalking on a school trip about 20 years ago. It flew quite close to us and was carrying a rabbit, an awe inspiring sight.
That would be amazing to see! I bet you'll never forget that experience.
I see them all the time out bush, i fuckn love them! The sound they make with their wings when they take off! Unreal!!!
That would be amazing to experience!
I was on a mountain by my self. I saw it staring right at me and we stared at each other for 2 minutes straight. I was shitting myself thinking I was gonna get attacked but he or her just flew off and I yelled “ you’re a legend!!!!” 😂😂😂
What an awesome experience!
Such an Aussie thing to do. 😂😂😂🤟🇦🇺
We love our wedge tails. Farmers used to shoot them when I was a kid and that upset me so much. But they are protected now and they are seen every where here. They are truly beautiful to see in flight and you'll often see cars in Australia pulled over on the side of the road to watch them fly over head. I was lucky enough to see one feeding on the side of the road right next to my car. I watch it for about half an hour and when it flew away I looked up and there were 3 other cars parked around watching as well. A joy.
That sounds so majestic! So glad these amazing birds are protected. =)
It’s good that they’re being protected. They’re the totems of many Aboriginal tribes (tribes must protect their totems, and in turn their totems will protect them.)
nost farmers actually never shot them anyway
There are no vultures in Australia, so these eagles fill that gap. Nonetheless they are highly effective predators, and YES, kangaroos are on their menu. A highly informative video, I learned things I didn't about this bird. Well done. My favorite raptor.
Thank you! We're glad you enjoyed it!
Wrong, our mainstream media is the largest species of vulture in Australia
@@davidlee-michaels9430 Sir, that species lives on every continent. 😏
@@AnimalFactFiles howdy wanna see an Aussie Pearla eagle taking out a dragon? If you get satellite image of Australia on your mobile phone and then turn map of Australia upside down with your fingers then go far right near coastal township of Karratha western Australia and then look closely with your 👁️👁️ s and focus and zoom in up and down on your phone and you'll see two huge eyes on head with a bird beak type snout with wings spanning across continent to israelite bay western Australia and if zoom down near Queensland northern territory border you'll see feather striations on the landscape.tail feathers ending up near Adelaide South Australia. Looks like a type of giant flying winged Phoenix thunderbird cherubim Griffin eagle type creature spanning two thirds of the nation. Also this bird is taking out a dragon so if you go to NSW SA Victoria border you'll see a giant dragons head. Looks like this bird is flying over dragon and taking it out! Amazing incredible awesome gotta check this out dude on your phone and show your friends.be blessed and astonished and amazed.laughing you'll love it! Remember to turn map of Australia upside down to view correctly.👍🇦🇺🤠👁️👁️🦅🐉🌍
Wedge-tailed eagles has to be one of my favourite birds. I love seeing raptors in full flight.
I remember during the early 70's an ultra marathon runner, Tony Rafferty, I think, was running across the Nullarbor Plain section of his across Australia run. This ancient geographical area of the world cannot support trees. Wedge tail eagles make their nests on the power poles lining the only road across it. At one point, as Rafferty was running across that vast area of sun and solitude, he was shocked to be cuffed across the back of his head by the huge wing tip of a wedge tail eagle that swooped at him and soared upwards never to bother him again. Rafferty just kept on running so that is probably why the eagle was happy to just keep an eye on him from a high distance until it was sure he would be leaving it's territory.
Eagle...."That's right mate, move on. Tell your story running."
That would be an intense experience! Smart to just keep moving!!
I went to Taronga zoo in Sydney as a kid they did a demonstration where it ripped up a leather safety boot like it was tissue paper 😂
Oh wow! That would be amazing to see! What a cool experience!
awesome bird and video !!
They're one of my favorite eagle species.
I would love to see one in real life!
Hahaha! "The island of Tasmania". Yeah Tassy is actually a state of Australia that has been pushed off the mainland to limit inbreeding to only one isolated part of Australia.
Pity the Eagles dont pick the Taswegians up and drop them in the Bass Straight lol
Lol.
How do you circumcise a Tasmanian boy?
Kick his sister in the jaw.
No, we broke off to get away from mardi gras and hipsters, especially Victorians lol.
I saw two while driving to wiluna Western Australia, they are huge
Nice catch! That would be awesome to see!
I love Wedge-tailed eagles 🦅 Wedge-tailed eagle can become a new Australian emblem
They already are (quite fittingly) the Special Forces emblem.
They’re a magnificent bird. Breathtaking.
Great work. Keep up brother.
Thank you!
I really hope to find one for the show someday!
Thank youuuuuuuuuu !!!!
I watched my grandfather shoot a wedgie with a shotgun when I was a small boy. He said it was attacking the lambs. I remember when he felled it - there was a sense of sorrow. Such a magnificent creature, but he was protecting his livelihood I guess. This was going back some 40 years. I hope times have changed now.
I can see why you would feel that sorrow. It's obvious it was impactful to you for it to stick like that.
They generally haven’t, unfortunately.
The wedged tail eagle makes the bold eagle sound like a glorified seagulls.
These things are boss gotta say
Not many in my area, nsw, only one pair so hopefully they will develop into more of them..
We need a fact file for the brown falcon, brown kite and the black kite. That would be awesome.
No kites in Afghanistan.
brown kite? I think you might mean whistling kite? I have a colony of ~40 Black Kites within 10 minutes of my home in suburbia (Western Brisbane). Amazing birds!
ALL NATIVE SPECIES, be it flora OR fauna are PROTECTED BY LAW, in Australia - not just particular species.
Never thought i'd ever hear "Australian ninjas" 😅
I used to see these guys while traveling too and from Adelaide.
That's awesome! Were they in the air or perched?
@@AnimalFactFiles
In the air, very easy to spot.
The golden eagle is not only the wedgetailed eagle's "American" cousin. The golden eagle is also native to Europe and most of Asia. American golden eagles are usually smaller than the Eurasian varieties that can get as big as the Wedgetail with an equal wingspan.
Not sure about equal wingspan: the largest ever recorded Golden eagle measured 255cm vs 284cm for the wedge-tail according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Nope, not correct. In terms of wingspan, it's the Bald Eagle and Wedge-tailed eagle leading the way, well ahead of the golden eagle, philippines eagle etc. On average, the Wedgie is every so slightly larger than the Bald Eagle too, although the largest specimens of each species show the Bald Eagle being ever so so slightly larger than the wedgie's largest offerings. In terms of body length and weight, the wedge-tailed eagle is #9 on the largest list from memory, significantly lighter than several other large raptors in the world.
@@MrMuel1205 he's very wrong in his assertion.
Interesting video and great images. Best video I have seen on wedge tailed eagles to date. Thank you. Unfortunately (despite it being illegal), a very high number of wedge tailed eagles in Australia are killed by farmers.
So glad you enjoyed the video! It is really unfortunately many are killed =(
Any smart farmer would want all the wedgies they can get, to keep the rabbits, rats and mice down.
@@zeropoint546 your Nankeen Kestrels, Australian Hobby, Black Shouldered Kite, Letter Winged Kite and Brown Falcons will probably take care of the rodents far more than a Wedge-tailed Eagle will. They are also far more prevalent.
50k fine for killed a native animal...One that's protected will typically mean jail time for the perpetrator and rightly so.
@@davepastern
Yeah. For those who are actually caught in the act and not related to the local law enforcement, definitely.
Wow it’s a tragedy you guys don’t have more likes and subscribers
I don’t like anybody
When I was a kid (many moons ago) mi ol’ man drove us to Sydney from Melb. in his ‘56 FJ Holden, & I can still remember all the way up the Hume Hwy, there were dead wedge tails, wings outstretched & fastened onto barbed wire fences in various stages of decay, sometimes up to 10 in a row, it was like there was a competition, to see how many they could shoot down.
Wow that's crazy to think about! What a fascinating memory to have!
Yeah I red a story about that not that long ago. Where the farmers hung the predators up on the fence. Can't remember what for. Something about having to show the local authorities your kill. I'm probably wrong but there was definitely a reason for hanging them up in a row on their fences
Yeah I red a story about that not that long ago. Where the farmers hung the predators up on the fence. Can't remember what for. Something about having to show the local authorities your kill. I'm probably wrong but there was definitely a reason for hanging them up in a row on their fences
Yep i love the wedgey's , i have a breeding pair that hang around my area and are great to watch hunting rabbits and pademelons ...they are a massive bird !
That's so cool!
@@AnimalFactFiles what was cool was watching a strange male come into the area and our local male started fighting him mid flight . They locked talons and went into this kinda death spiral towards the ground and at the last minute they separated and flew back up and did it again until the outsider flew away! I sat on my veranda watching the whole thing with a buddy of mine having a coffee lol
Do a video on the jackalope
Wedge Tailed Eagle: I can take down kangaroos
Philippine Eagle: Am I A JoKe To YoU!!! ;)
Ive seen one at work recently. Honestly it was the size of a young child, I never seen a bird that big in my life haha was amazing to look at tho!
First time hearing about these eagles. Good to know.
Glad you learned something new!
@@AnimalFactFiles: Yes. Thank you. 👍🏻 Greetings from Puerto Rico. 🇵🇷
Thumbnail : *I Can Take down Kangaroo*
Kangaroo : *I am Already down, you need to get me up in the sky*
Hi can i get permission to use a few seconds of this video in a music video on youtube?
It can be used for non-commercial purposes. If you'll be making any money off the content you'll have to go into the individual videos listed in the description and find what you're looking for and check the individual license on the source video
We have a pair not far from our place. You know when they're near by the panic it causes amongst all the other birds. ohh.. except for the magpies, they gang up and harass them from behind pecking at their tale feathers.
I love seeing and hearing about all the different ways different birds interact with one another 💜
The camera doesn't do it justice these lads are massive 🇦🇺🇦🇺
Could you guys please make a video featuring the harpy eagle
That's on our list. We'll be doing it in the future. =)
@@AnimalFactFiles and please with the Philippines eagle as well 🙏🙏
Please do a Packers
My totem❤️
Kangaroos aren’t Australian ninja, they’re more like Australian hippies. They just seem high as hell all the time.
2 of these mongrel birds took out some of our chickens this week. Zoomed down out of the sky like an out of control train. Tore the guts out of them.
They ignored the mob of roos in the paddock, which are in plague proportions
Aww I'm sorry to hear that. That must be frustrating.
Just like us top predators take out the easiest prey for everyday feeding!
For the next couple of years domestic animals will be targeted by these birds as the fires and drought have destroyed much of their usual food sources. So keep the crooks protected for a while yet.
Ha ha I meant CHOOKS not Crooks! Well now that’s an idea!
If u r ever lucky, u may see a live Martial Eagle, Harpy Eagle or the Wedge Tailed. All very impressive looking raptors
It would be amazing to see them!
There where a pair living where I used to go camping down near Dwellingup in West Australia. At night when you have a camp fire, they'd circle around the up-draft of hot air from the fire to ride the draft up to much higher skies. Absolutely majestic and utterly huge birds..
That would be awesome to experience!
@@AnimalFactFiles Absolute awe inspiring animals.
👍👍👍👍
thanks for the video....sadly, even though they are protected, very little is done if people kill them. Recently a farmer got a slap on the wrist after he killed over 200 of them. So, protected status in Australia often means zero
Oh dang! I didn't know that. I also don't really understand the reasoning behind killing 200+ birds, but I guess that's beside the point..
Absolutely true, unfortunately.
Maybe they harm livestock and destroy crops? Idk.
Farmers sometimes shoot deer since they'll destroy a field of corn.
Great content mate. An unfortunate but all too common death for them is being hit by a vehicle feasting on roadkill. They just take too long to take off.
It's too bad 😩
The correct scientific name of the wedge-tailed eagle is actually now Gigantotriorchis audax.
I lost 4 chickens in 5 days to one. I beg to differ with the experts.
This was really interesting and your narration was great, but please, PLEASE, don't have words on the screen at the same time that you're saying something completely different.
Glad you enjoyed the video, and thank you for the feedback! In our newer episodes we've been trying to reduce the amount of words on screen. =)
Of course they can take down kangaroos they have no defense against hawks but I didn’t know hawks hunted them it’s kinda random
Iam in 🇦🇺 Melbourne.
Have you ever seen a wedge tailed eagle?
I am out the back of outback QLD, beyond the never never. Saw an emu give a wedge tail a wedgie.
the first bird shown is a kite not a wedgetail . look at the tail
W is is there swearing
farmers put dead sheep on pallets in a far corner of their farms for the eagles so they don't chase live ones
We were reading about that while researching. Really interesting stuff!
can your make a vidio about killer whale
Sure! We have a video on killer whales: ua-cam.com/video/WYjSaU7ueqo/v-deo.html
Thanks for watching!
Haha
If it wasn’t for the introduction of the rabbit to Australia wedgies would have become endangered . Not uncommon during 60s & early 70s to see 30 or so strung up on a fence by land owners .
Mainly eat carrion!
All that they can carry on.
Please do cat
What's your favourite animal
So where is the kangaroo take-down? CLICK BAIT
Of course it's from Australia..
Magpies give these guys hell
Americans: "hurr durr we have a bald eagle"
Australians: that's nice.
"Its American cousin the Golden eagle" wouldn't it make more sense to say the bald eagle as it is native to North America rather than the Golden eagle that is native to the northern hemisphere?
Good point! Thanks for pointing that out to us! We definitely centered ourselves there without thinking about it, so it's good to be reminded of these kinds of things. We'll do better in the future
It is good to kill them my typical tactic is to curl into a ball and not move and wait until the eagle tries to grab me and then catch and stomp on it. This has never worked however
Who do u think u are? Cyril the rooster?
Seen one of these pick up a full grown sheep one day
Australia needs a Cheater population.