Eastern imperial eagle
Aquila heliaca
Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Gori, Shida Kartli Georgia field photo
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 68–90 cm, wingspan 1.76–2.2 m
- Diet
- Rodents, hares, birds and reptiles
- Status in Georgia
- Breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor
- Recorded regions
- Kakheti; Kvemo Kartli; Shida Kartli
- Habitat
- Forest edges, wooded steppe and farmland
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Protection
- Globally VU (2025); in Georgia EN (2024)
The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a large bird of prey: it is 68–90 cm long, with a wingspan of 1.76–2.2 m, and weighs about 2.5–4.5 kg. The female is larger and heavier than the male. The adult is almost blackish brown, with golden-buff feathers on the crown and nape and white patches on the shoulders. The juvenile is sandy with dark streaks. It is harmless to people. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a year-round breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. Observations come from every month of the year, with the most in April, May and October. Most records come from Kakheti. In Georgia its risk is rated high (EN), while globally it is assessed as Vulnerable (VU, 2025).
Identification
Eastern imperial eagle: how to identify it
A large, dark eagle with a pale golden head and nape and white patches on the shoulders. The juvenile is sandy with dark streaks on the breast. When soaring it holds its wings almost flat.
It is 68–90 cm long, with a wingspan of 1.76–2.2 m. It weighs about 2.5–4.5 kg; the female can be up to 40% heavier than the male.
The adult is almost blackish brown. The crown, nape and sides of the neck are pale golden buff, and there are bold white patches on the shoulders. The juvenile is sandy buff, with dark streaks on the breast and pale bars on the wings. It takes on adult plumage gradually over several years: the dark feathers appear first on the throat and breast.
The similar Aquila chrysaetos is bulkier and more powerful, with a shorter neck and smaller head, and has no white shoulder patches. The eastern imperial eagle often perches on an exposed branch, a mound or a haystack, and is less shy of people than other eagles.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
It favours places where tall trees meet open, flat land: forest edges, wooded steppe, steppe with trees and farmland with large trees. It used to be mainly a lowland bird, but persecution and habitat loss have pushed it into large mountain forests in many places. It usually breeds up to 1,300 m. It hunts in open country: steppe, fields and the edges of marshes. In winter it chooses open grassland, plains, semi-deserts and the shores of large lakes and marshes. The eastern imperial eagle is a threatened species, so the exact locations of its nests and sightings are not made public, to protect it from poachers and disturbance. In Georgia it occurs in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli and Shida Kartli. It is seen most often in Kakheti, including Dedoplistskaro Municipality, and in Kvemo Kartli in Gardabani Municipality. In Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Adjara, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Abkhazia there are only a few records. They fall in the spring and autumn migration months: in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, in the Kazbegi area, in April, and in Adjara in September and October. These records most likely belong to migrating birds.
It is carnivorous. It almost always catches its prey on the ground. It eats mainly small and medium-sized mammals: voles, hamsters, ground squirrels, hares and hedgehogs. It also takes birds, especially the young of medium-sized and larger birds, reptiles, and carrion. Among 341 prey items studied in Georgia in the 1990s, the most frequent was the social vole (Microtus socialis), about 15%. In Georgia reptiles made up about 30% of its food, mostly the Caucasian agama (Paralaudakia caucasia) and other small lizards.
Over most of its range it is migratory: it moves south from September to November and returns from February to May. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a year-round breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. In Georgia observations come from every month, with the most in April, May and October. It flies with heavy but steady wingbeats and soars with its wings held almost flat. It nests in a large, old tree. In Russia and Kazakhstan it also nests on electricity pylons. A pair sometimes has two or three nests. It lays 2–3 eggs; in Georgia a nest holds about 2 eggs on average. In south-east Europe egg-laying runs from mid-February to March. The female does most of the incubation, for about 43 days. The chicks leave the nest at 63–77 days. A pair usually raises one or two young.
Globally the eastern imperial eagle is assessed as Vulnerable (VU, 2025). A 2020 estimate puts the number of mature birds at about 16,000–20,000, and numbers are probably falling slowly. In 1970–1990 habitat loss and persecution caused a rapid decline, and the population has not yet recovered. The main threats are logging and a shortage of large trees in the lowlands, human disturbance, poisoned baits, electrocution on power lines, illegal killing and trapping, and declines in its prey, such as ground squirrels. The species is listed in Appendix I of CITES and Appendices I and II of the Bonn Convention, and it is legally protected in Georgia. A conservation action plan for Georgia has been prepared for 2024–2034. The 2024 Georgian checklist rates its risk in Georgia as high (EN). In the previous national assessment it was Vulnerable (VU).
Andrew Bazdyrev · Giorgi Natsvlishvili · Paul Kingsnorth · Donsky · Nikita Tiunov · Christoph Moning · Tom Heijnen
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Yes. The 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a year-round breeding bird, passage migrant and winter visitor. Observations come from every month of the year.
Most often in Kakheti, including Dedoplistskaro Municipality, and also in Kvemo Kartli, in Gardabani Municipality, and in Shida Kartli. Look over open steppe and fields with large trees.
The adult eastern imperial eagle has white shoulder patches, which the golden eagle lacks. It is less bulky, with a longer neck and a larger head.
Yes, the 2024 Georgian checklist lists it as a breeding bird. It nests in a large, old tree and usually lays 2–3 eggs.
It is 68–90 cm long, with a wingspan of 1.76–2.2 m, and weighs about 2.5–4.5 kg. The female is larger than the male.
Mainly rodents, ground squirrels, hamsters, hares and hedgehogs, as well as birds, reptiles and carrion. In Georgia its food includes many voles and Caucasian agamas.
The eastern imperial eagle is harmless to people. It is a threatened species: VU globally and EN in Georgia. It is legally protected in Georgia and listed in Appendix I of CITES.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
