20 Most Beautiful Eagle Species In The World

Tawny Eagle
Tawny Eagle

Eagles are one of the most important bird species that belongs to the family of diurnal birds of prey. As of now, a total of 60 species of eagle is known mostly seen across the world except on the New Zealand and Antarctica. Eagles are a tough bird that is known to survive different habitats such as mountains, canyons, forests, open plains and areas near the water. The bald eagle is one of the species which is endangered because of habitat destruction, pollution of the soil and hunting but thanks to the conservation effort made by administration now the species of eagle is showing signs of recovery. We will discuss the most beautiful eagle species in the world.

Bird species can grow upto 16 to 39 inches in length and approximately 0.99 to 15 pounds of weight. Talking about the appearance, most of the eagle species is covered with grey, yellowish-brown and brown plumage that makes them absolutely beautiful. Eagles have heavier heads and strongly curved beaks as compared to the raptors. The eyes of the species are large and are 5 times more light-sensitive cells in the eyes and has the ability to recognize five different colors. Here is the list of most beautiful eagle species in the world,

Most Beautiful Eagle Species

1.Martial Eagle

Martial Eagle is the largest species of eagle in the African region that can grow upto 78-96 cm in length and weighs approximately 3 to 6 kg. Talking about the appearance, it has a dark colouration in the upperparts, head and upper chest with a lighter edging to the feathers. The eyes of the species are rich yellow and he dark feathers can also appear greyish, blackish or even plum-coloured that depends on the lighting conditions. It is mostly seen in sub-Saharan Africa and thrives in pen woods and woodland edges that includes savannah and thornbush habitats. The avarage lifespan of species is 14 to 25 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Types of Snakes In The World

Martial Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

2.Golden Eagle

One of the most beautiful eagle species, Golden eagles are known for their superb flying and hunting prowess. The bird species is the national symbol of Mexico and also the national treasure in the United States. This is North America’s largest bird of prey that can grow upto 3 feet with a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet. Talking about the appearance, it has a dark plumage with gold coloring near the head and neck. Also, the bird species has brown eyes, a yellow beak and talons that can grow upto 3 inches. The avarage lifespan of species is 15 to 20 years but they have also known to live as long as 30 years.

Also Read:12 Beautiful Purple Animals In The World

Golden Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

3.Bateleur

Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle species native to Africa and small parts of Arabia. Talking about the appearance, it has black plumage with chestnut mantle, grey shoulders, tawny wing coverts and red facial skin. The female species has a tawny secondary wing feathers and there are rare chances that mantle may be white. The species are adaptive to open savanna country and woodland (thornveld) within Sub-Saharan Africa regions. These eagles are tree-nesting birds which are mostly silent but also seen making barks and screams. It is carnivores and scavengers that can attack other species for food and will scavenge carrion. The avarage lifespan is 27 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Amazing Desert Birds In The World

Bateleur

4.Eastern Imperial Eagle

Eastern Imperial Eagle mostly was seen in the regions of Southeast Europe to the West and Central Asia. The bird species also were seen in northern Russia, Northeast India, northern Pakistan, Mongolia and Siberia. It loves to stay at 1800 meters above sea level and also seen flying at 3900 meters above sea level. Eastern Imperial Eagle spent there winters in India and favour humid areas. I can grow upto 72 to 90 cm in length and weighs approximately 2.45 to 4.55 kg where females eagles are one-quarter larger than males.

Also Read: A List of World’s Largest Eagles Based On Mass, Length And Wingspan

Eastern Imperial Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

5.Harpy Eagle

The harpy eagle is a raptor and one of the largest eagles in the world that can grow upto 34 to 42 inches in length and 8.8 to 20 pounds of weight. This is mostly seen in Central and South America. Talking about the appearance, it has a back black with a grey face and white belly. Both males and females look alike. It has a long wingspan with over 69 to 88 inches and has a long tail that is helpful in navigation. The species has excellent eyesight and sense of hearing that can detect prey very easily. The avarage lifespan of species is 25 to 35 years in the wild.

Also Read: Top 10 Most Beautiful Snakes In The World

Harpy Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

6.Booted Eagle

Booted Eagle is a medium-sized species scientifically known as Hieraaetus pennatus mostly seen in the Palearctic and southern Asia and in the winters they will migrate to tropics of Africa and Asia. It belongs to the family Accipitridae where males can grow upto 510 to 770 g in weight and females upto 840 to 1,025 g and the length of wingspan of 11 to 132 cm. The unique part is that it shows dark and light morphs. It generally feeds on small mammals such as mice, reptiles such as lizards, and large insects.

Image Source: Wikimedia

7.Steller’s Sea Eagle

Steller’s Sea Eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae and originally described in the year 1811 by Peter Simon Pallas. Talking about the appearance, it has a dark brown plumage equipped with white wings and tail, and yellow beak and talons. This is one of the heaviest eagles in the world that can weigh upto 5 to 9 kg, however, it is less than harpy eagle and Philippine eagle. The species mostly seen in coastal northeastern Asia and loves to eat fish and water birds. It is vulnerable as per the listing from International Union for Conservation of Nature and as of now 4,000 of these eagles live there.

Steller’s Sea Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

8.Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle

Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle also known as Rufous-bellied eagle is one of the most beautiful eagle species mostly seen in the forested regions of tropical Asia. It was initially described as Astur kienerii on the basis of a specimen from the Himalayas, however, later it was later moved to the genus Lophotriorchis and then again to Hieraaetus calling as “hawk-eagles”. Talking about the appearance, the species has a black hood with a short crest and the Chestnut underparts. It can grow upto 46 to 61 cm and weight approximately 732 g.

Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

9.Philippian Eagle

Philippian Eagle is also one of the largest eagle species in the world both in terms of the length and wing surface. It can grow upto 86 to 102 cm in length and 4 to 8 Kg in weight. The avarage lifespan of species is 30 to 60 years in the wild. Talking about the appearance, It has a dark face and a creamy-brown nape and crown, however, the back is dark brown but the underside and underwings are white. It is native to the Philippines and occurs in four islands such as eastern Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao.

Image Source: Wikimedia

10.Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle is also one of the largest and most beautiful eagle species native to North America. It appears in regions of Florida and California, to Newfoundland and Alaska. The adult one can grow upto 3 feet tall and weigh up to 9 pounds and females are larger than males. Bald eagles are monogamous which means one pair of eagles stays together for the rest of their life. The avarage lifespan of eagle species is 28 years in the wild and up to 36 years in captivity. They are also the national emblem of the United States ever since 1782.

Bald Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

11.Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Ornate hawk-eagle saw in the tropical Americas and also referred to as the crested hawk-eagle. The species belongs to the family Accipitridae and popular for its vivid colors and bold markings on the body of the bird species. They are also seen in the ranges of central Mexico and South America. They used to thrive in tall trees and can be seen in many different types of forests.

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

12.Spanish Emperial Eagle

Spanish Emperial Eagle also known as Iberian Imperial Eagle or Spanish eagle, or Adalbert’s eagle is one of the most beautiful eagle species mostly seen in the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the Vulnerable species listed in IUCN and primary causes are human encroachment, collisions with pylons and loss of habitat. It can grow upto a length of 74 to 85 cm with a wingspan of 177 to 220 cm. The avarage weight of the species is 3.19 to 3.93 kg (7.0 to 8.7 lb).

Spanish Emperial Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

13.White Tailed Sea Eagle

White-Tailed Sea Eagle is one of the most beautiful eagle species mostly seen in temperate Eurasia. Like other eagle species, it also belongs to the family Accipitridae that also includes hawks, kites, and harriers. It is also known as grey sea eagle or Eurasian sea eagle and prefers areas of coastal saltwater areas and inland freshwater, including wetlands, lakes, bogs and rivers. One of the powerful apex predators is also an opportunistic scavenger that mainly subsiding on fish and birds.

White Tailed Sea Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

14.Verreaux’s Eagle

Verreaux’s Eagle also known as the black eagle mostly seen in South Africa and prefers hilly and mountainous regions of southern and eastern Africa. The species was first described by René Primevère Lesson in his 1830 publication, and it is a part of a broad group of raptors called “booted eagles”. The male species can weigh upto 3 to 4.2 kg (6.6 to 9.3 lb), however, female ones are larger with a weight of 3.1 to 7 kg (6.8 to 15.4 lb).

Verreaux’s Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

15.Bateleur African Eagle

Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle species with the closest relative are the snake eagles. It is also considered to be the origin of the “Zimbabwe Bird” and the national emblem of Zimbabwe. The species is endemic to Africa and some parts of Arabia. The avarage size of eagle species is 55 to 70 cm (22 to 28 in) long with a 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) wingspan. The distribution of the bird species is across Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania.

Also Read: Top 10 Largest Birds Of Prey On Planet Earth

Bateleur African Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

16.Wedge Tailed Eagle

Wedge Tailed Eagles are the largest bird of prey in Australia. The species is shown in southern New Guinea and known for its long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs with a wedge-shaped tail. It has a unique dark-coloured booted eagle with a wingspan up to 2.84 m (9 ft 4 in) and a known length of 1.06 m (3 ft 6 in). The species is seen in the regions of Australia, including Tasmania, and southern New Guinea across the world.

Wedge Tailed Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

17.Greater spotted eagle

Greater spotted eagle is also known as the spotted eagle is a large bird of prey that belongs to the family Accipitridae. Scientifically known as changing the eagle species can grow upto 59 to 71 cm in length along with a wingspan of 157 to 179 cm. The varage wieght of the eagle species is 1.6 to 2.5 kg, howvever, there are instances where a big female spotted eagle has been identified with wieght 3.2 kg. Talking about the appearance, Head and wing coverts are very dark brown along with brown plumage and wing coverts. The species mostly breed from northern Europe eastwards across Eurasia, and winters in south-eastern Europe, north-eastern Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. The diet includes small mammals and similar, mainly terrestrial, prey.

Greater spotted eagle
Greater spotted eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

18.Tawny Eagle

The Tawny Eagle is also one of the most beautiful eagle species seen in the regions of north and south of the Sahara desert. The eagle species can grow upto 65 to 72 centimetres in length and weighs around 1.6 to 2.4 kilograms. The wingspan is approximately 1.72 to 1.85 metres, however, female species is larger than males but similar in appearance. Talking about the appearance, it has a tawny coloured upper part along with black flight feathers and a paler lower back area. It can be identified with light-coloured stripes on its wings. It loves to thrive in deserts, steppes, open grasslands, savannas and mountainous regions and its diet includes smaller birds, rabbits and small reptiles including lizards and snakes.

Tawny Eagle
Tawny Eagle

Image Source: Wikimedia

19.Crested serpent eagle

Crested serpent eagle is medium-sized birds of prey seen in the forested habitats across tropical Asia and they are also widespread in the areas of Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia. Talking about the appearance, they have a large head along with long feathers on the back of the head giving them a crested appearance and hence the name. The face of the species is bare and yellow along with powerful feet. The apex predators are at the top of the food chain and hold a good part in maintaining the ecosystem and control snake populations and also those of other small mammals and reptiles.

Crested serpent eagle
Crested serpent eagle

Image Source: Gaurika Wijeratne

20.Bonelli’s Eagle

Bonelli’s Eagle mostly seen in southern Europe, Africa both north and south of the Sahara Desert. It prefers to thrive in savannah, forest edges, cultivation, and scrub, provided there are some large trees. It can grow upto 55 to 65 cm in length and it is a resident breeder which lays 1-3 eggs in a tree or crag nest. Talking about the appearance, the underparts are dark brown in colour and the underside is white with dark streaks. They have a long tail which is grey on top and white below along with the broad black terminal band. The diet includes live prey such as mammals or birds.

Bonelli’s Eagle
Bonelli’s Eagle

Image Source: Francesco Veronesi

These are the most beautiful eagle species in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.