A Different Eagle...

[DW Brewer]

Going through some files as I prepare to sell an 11x14 tomorrow afternoon. I haven't posted any of this particular bird so I thought I would remedy that situation...[

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[hangin tree]

It's a beauty Dave

 

[OHcorgis]

It almost looks cute!

 

[cajun angel]

WOW! What beautiful color! Very well done!

 

[Gale]

Wow what a beauty

 

[Bolts]

Lovely bird. He's very expressive.

Almost looks like he's giving a speech; could he be a politician? Televangilist maybe?

 

[DW Brewer]

Thank y'all for the commentary. I chose the title because this IS A DIFFERENT EAGLE. This is a Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax), native to equatorial, central, and southern Africa, with some subspecies ranging over to Asia via India. He is a close relative of the North American Golden Eagle, but obviously a bird of the southern hemisphere. His native range overlaps with that of the Steppe Eagle(Aquila nepalensis) with whom it is often confused. The easiest telltale markings between the two are that the tawny coloration on the Tawny Eagle covers the crown, the nape, and extends down the front to the ventral and lateral sides, including the dorsal aspect of the leading edge of the wings. Much like the Golden Eagle, the tawny coloration of the Steppe Eagle is mainly on the nape. Likewise, the mouth gap on the Tawny Eagle tends not to go past the center line of the pupil of the eye, whereas on the Steppe Eagle the gap tends to extend past the centerline. I posted these images in my daily e-mailing to my friends and got quite a discussion going with some of the serious birders. The attached image is more conclusive relative these identifying characterisitics, but is hardly completely definitive.

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[Toklat]

The last one is a handsome shot of the Tawny!