Verreaux's Eagle  (Aquila verreauxii)

Global Status

IUCN Data (Global)

IUCN 2024. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2024-1 (www)

Assessment year: 2024

Assessment Citation

BirdLife International 2024. Aquila verreauxii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T22696067A263672211. Accessed on 21 December 2024.

Habitats:

Behaviour The species primarily occurs in the Afrotropic zone, but is marginally Palearctic (30°N to 35°S) and has an altitudinal distribution from sea level to above 5000m.  Adults are sedentary while juveniles and immatures will disperse (Ferguson- Lees and Christie, 2001). Habitat The species occupies remote, mountainous, rocky areas, as well as savannah and semi-desert; anywhere that rock hyraxes occur in substantial numbers (Ferguson- Lees and Christie, 2001) Diet More than 60% of its prey are rock hyraxes but it will occasionally also take other mammals, birds, tortoises and rarely, other reptiles. Pairs will hunt cooperatively (del Hoyo et al., 1994). Breeding Site The nest is a stick structure, up to 1.8m in diameter, usually located on a cliff ledge or cave, although trees and artificial structures are also used. Breeding occurs year-round in East Africa, peaking in May-December, and from April to November from Zambia southwards, whilst in Ethiopia and Somalia breeding is from October to May. Clutch sizes are almost always two, with the older chick invariably killing the younger within three days of hatching (del Hoyo et al., 1994).

Population:

The population is estimated to number in the tens of thousands. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Threats:

The species is locally persecuted in southern Africa where it coincides with livestock farms, but because the species does not take carrion, is little threatened by poisoned carcasses. Where hyraxes are hunted for food and skins, eagle populations have declined (Ferguson- Lees and Christie, 2001). It is not known to be affected by pesticides (del Hoyo et al., 1994).

Rationale:

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence under 20,000 km² combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (under 10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be over 10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (over 30% decline over ten years or three generations). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Trend justification:

The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Trade use:

This species has been reported as used in trade at a high prevalence, being found in three of the seven trade datasets evaluated (Donald et al. 2024).