NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Asian Imperial Eagle
Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca) is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South and East Asia. Like all eagles, the eastern imperial eagle is a member of the family Accipitridae. Furthermore, its feathered legs mark it as a member of the subfamily Aquilinae. It is a large, dark-colored eagle, with a resemblance to other members of the genus Aquila, but it is usually the darkest species in its range. It is an opportunistic predator that mostly selects smallish mammals as prey but also a fairly large proportion of birds, reptile and other prey types, including carrion. Compared to other Aquila eagles, it has a strong preference for the interface of tall woods with plains and other open, relatively flat habitats, including the wooded mosaics of the steppe. Normally, nests are located in large, mature trees and the parents raise around one or two fledglings.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern imperial eagle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:45:34.949859+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aquila heliaca Savigny, 1809
- Name authority
- Savigny, 1809
- Common name
- Asian Imperial Eagle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Aquila
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAccipitriformes
- familyAccipitridae Vigors, 1824
- genusAquila Brisson, 1760
- speciesAquila heliaca Savigny, 1809
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aquila. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cassin's Hawk-EagleAquila africana (Cassin, 1865) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bonelli's EagleAquila fasciata Vieillot, 1822 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gurney's EagleAquila gurneyi G. R. Gray, 1861 | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny EagleAquila rapax (Temminck, 1828) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African Hawk-EagleAquila spilogaster (Bonaparte, 1850) | AccipitridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Aquila heliaca heliaca Savigny, 1809 Savigny, 1809 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- de Savigny, & Marie Jules César Lelorgne. (1809). Système des Oiseaux de L’Égypte et de La Syrie. Description de l’Égypte, Ou, Recueil Des Observations et Des Recherches Qui Ont Été Faites En Égypte Pendant L’expédition de L’armée Française, Histoire Naturelle. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5W2DZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.