Little Eagle Spotted at Arkaba

This Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides) was spotted above Arkaba's homestead garden recently. This individual might have been hunting rabbits, reptiles or even birds when field guide Charlie managed to snap this picture as it came down to land on an old fence post. This beautiful eagle, along with the larger and more commonly known Wedge-tailed eagle make up the only two “booted” eagles in Australia, their feathered legs being one of the features that set them apart from other Australian Raptors.

New evidence suggests that Little Eagles migrate from South to North during the winter months, explaining why we tend to see them more frequently in the summer. One individual was recorded to have travelled as far as 3,000km in a season!

Nesting pairs of this very attractive eagle have been recorded across Arkaba's private wildlife conservancy in South Australia's Flinders Ranges over the past couple of years, with birds preferring to nest in dense, tree lined watercourses with large living trees. Arkaba will continue to be an attractive breeding ground for the Little Eagle, as current and future conservation projects continually improve the health of river red gum communities across the conservancy.