Little Eagle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes Family: Accipitridae Genus: Aquila Species: A. morphnoides
Binomial name
Aquila morphnoides (Gould, 1841)
Synonyms
Hieraaetus morphnoides

Comparative morphology of Haast's Eagle with its closest living relative the Little Eagle.

The Little Eagle (Aquila morphnoides) is a very small eagle native to Australasia, measuring 45-55 cm (17-21.5 inches) in length and weighing 815 g (1.8 lb) - roughly the size of a Peregrine Falcon. It tends to inhabit open woodland, grassland and arid regions, shunning dense forest. It is a near relative of both the Palearctic Booted Eagle and, remarkably, the massive (but now extinct) Haast's Eagle of New Zealand.

References

• BirdLife International (2006). Hieraaetus morphnoides. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 05 December 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
• Bunce, M., et al. (2005). Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into the Evolutionary History of New Zealand's Extinct Giant Eagle. PLoS Biol 3(1): e9 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030009 HTML open-source article
• Lerner, H. R. L. and D. P. Mindell (2005). Phylogeny of eagles, Old World vultures, and other Accipitridae based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 327-346. PDF document

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