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Aquila verreauxii

warning Regionally Extinct
RE

Verreaux's Eagle is classified as Regionally Extinct (RE). The extinction process occurred in the early 1970s and since then no nesting attempts have been recorded in Israel, (vagrant birds appear in Israel every few years). In the previous edition of the red book (2002), it was also classified as Regionally Extinct (RE).
RE Current Regional Assessment | RE Previous Regional Assessment | LC World Assessment

Habitats Desert Cliffs, Mediterranean Cliffs
Presence In Israel Resident
Nesting In Israel Past Breeder
Migration Types Resident
Zoography Zones Mediterranean, Saharo-Arabian, Sudano-Zambezian
Landscape Formations Mountainous, Cliffs
Vegetation Densities Low
Nest Locations Cliffs
Diet Types Vertebrate
Foraging Grounds Ground
Body Sizes Large (over 1000g)
Threat Factors Direct Persecution

Verreaux's Eagle is a large dark, imposing eagle that inhabits rocky and cliff habitats and specializes in hunting Rock Hyrax. Breeding couples are resident in their territories and often hunt together.

Verreaux's Eagle is today a very rare accidental in the Eilat Mountains, Negev and Judean Desert, mainly in winter. In the previous century, it nested in the Galilee. In 1911, an adult individual was collected at En Gedi (the Schmitz Collection). In 1964, two pairs apparently nested in Nahal Dishon and Nahal Betset in the Upper Galilee. The species has not been recorded in Israel’s Mediterranean region since 1971, but there have been numerous observations from the Eilat Mountains, the Arava Valley and the southern Judean Desert, probably individuals that nested and possibly still breed in Jordan and Northern Sinai (Sela 1975, Paz 1986, Shirihai 1996, Mayrose & Alon 2001).

Mountainous and cliff areas in the Mediterranean and desert regions in Israel.

A number of Verreaux's eagle pairs nested during the 1960s in the Upper Galilee. The reason for their disappearance from the region is unknown, and is probably related to hunting and poisoning. The species was unknown in the Galilee in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, therefore the increase in observations in the Galilee in the 1960s may be related to northward movements, which were apparently made possible by the decreased competition with native raptor species, after the latter were decimated by the intensive pesticide poisonings that occurred in Israel in those years.

  • סלע, י. 1975. סקר העופות הדורסים 1970–1975. אוניברסיטת תל-אביב: המכון לחקר שמירת הטבע.
  • פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.

Distribution maps

The maps presented here provide visual information on the distribution of species in Israel in the past and present, and the changes in occupancy and nesting density during the comparison period. For further reading


Relative Abundance 2010-2020

Breeding density values as calculated from observation records and expert opinions.

Relative Abundance 1980-1990

Breeding density values are based mainly on the book Birds of Israel (Shirihai 1996).

Occupancy difference 1990-2020

A map that expresses differences in the breeding distribution between the evaluation periods (1980-1990 versus 2010-2020). Negative value - species previously present but is currently absent, positive value - species has not been recorded previously and is currently present, zero - no change in occupancy.

Relative abundance difference 1990-2020

A map that reflects the changes in the relative abundance of the species between the evaluation periods (1980-1990 versus 2010-2020). Negative values - decline in abundance, positive values - increase in abundance, zero - no change in abundance.


Rarity
Vulnerability
Attractiveness
Endemism
Red number
Peripherality

IUCN category
Definition

() districts
Disjunctiveness:
% of protected sites

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