Steppe Eagle
Aquila nipalensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusAquila (True Eagles)
- SpeciesAquila nipalensis (Steppe Eagle)
The steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is a large bird of prey. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. The steppe eagle's well-feathered legs illustrate it to be a member of the subfamily Aquilinae, also known as the "Booted eagles". This species was once considered to be closely related to the sedentary tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) and the two forms have previously been treated as conspecific. They were split based on pronounced differences in morphology and anatomy; two molecular studies, each based on a very small number of genes, indicate that the species are distinct but disagree over how closely related they are. The Steppe eagle is in many ways a peculiar species of eagle. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Kibale National Park
Cassin's Hawk-Eagle
Aquila africana
African Hawk-Eagle
Aquila spilogaster
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Aquila pomarina
Lizard Buzzard
Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Long-crested Eagle
Lophaetus occipitalis
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Palmnut Vulture
Gypohierax angolensis
Wahlberg's Eagle
Hieraaetus wahlbergi
Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus coronatus
Banded Snake-Eagle
Circaetus cinerascens
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Steppe Eagle at Kibale National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there