The Majestic Beauty of the Wedge-tailed Eagle

10 10 2025

The Wedge-tailed eagle is a constant feature in the skies above Rawnsley Park Station and was the inspiration behind the design of our logo in 1997. 

On your arrival to Rawnsley Park Station, you cannot miss our welcome sign: featuring a stylised interpretation of this majestic bird that calls the Ikara-Flinders Ranges home.

Here are five interesting facts about this beautiful bird - the Wedge-tailed eagle - a powerful symbol of the Flinders Ranges and one of the highlights of our wildlife experience. 

  1. The Wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey, and one of the world’s largest eagles.  They have an average wingspan of 2.3 metres, and occasionally up to 2.8 metres.  Females are larger than males and also weigh more than males. Their large size means they can lift very large prey items - even up to 5 kilos.

  2. Wedge-tailed eagles are carnivores and scavengers. Most of their diet consists of rabbits and brown hares but they also feed on larger mammals such as foxes, feral cats, wallabies, small kangaroos, possums, wombats, koalas and bandicoots.

  3. They mate for life. Once they have paired up, the Wedge-tailed eagles will find a large territory and defend it together. They will also share the duties of caring for their chicks and maintaining their nests.

  4. They have large nests. A nest is typically formed in a tree but where they cannot find a suitable tree, they use a cliff edge or even make it on the ground. It is made from sticks and lined with green leaves and twigs. The nest can measure 2.5m (8.2ft) across and 4m (13ft) deep. This nest is used for many years in a row with some having been used for 50 consecutive years. Some pairs maintain up to 10 nests and rotate their nest each year. We have spotted several nests on our station and through the national park. 

  5. Their scientific name ‘Aquila audax’ translates as "bold eagle" in Latin.