Bonelli's eagle [SEP] parent taxon
Bonelli's eagle
The Bonelli's eagle ("Aquila fasciata") is a large bird of prey. The common name of the bird commemorates the Italian ornithologist and collector Franco Andrea Bonelli, who is credited with gathering the type specimen, mostly likely from an exploration of Sardinia. Some antiquated texts also refer to this species as the crestless hawk-eagle. Like all eagles, Bonelli's eagle belongs to the family Accipitridae. Its feathered legs marked it as member of the Aquilinae or booted eagle subfamily. This species breeds
not infrequently attacking and displacing juvenile and subadult Bonelli's eagles. Further east, in Israel, Bonelli's and golden eagles are competitors as well. In the dry, barren Negev desert, golden eagles nests were found apart and Bonelli's were scarce. In the Judean desert, which has more annual rainfall and more available prey, the distance between golden eagle nests averaged and the Bonelli's eagle easily outnumbered them. Apparently, the Bonelli's eagle exceptionally outcompeted its larger cousin here due to a subtle topographic variation in the habitat