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 →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Steppe Eagle sighting in Mkomazi National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Mkomazi National Park
Tawny Eagle
Aquila rapax
African Hawk-Eagle
Aquila spilogaster
Verreaux's Eagle
Aquila verreauxii
Lesser Spotted Eagle
Aquila pomarina
Mountain Buzzard
Buteo oreophilus
Augur Buzzard
Buteo augur
Eastern Chanting-Goshawk
Melierax poliopterus
Black-winged Kite
Elanus caeruleus
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
Long-crested Eagle
Lophaetus occipitalis
Crowned Eagle
Stephanoaetus coronatus
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ 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
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Steppe Eagle in Mkomazi National Park?
About 2% of wildlife watchers report a Steppe Eagle sighting in Mkomazi National Park, based on 7 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Steppe Eagle in Mkomazi National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Steppe Eagle in Mkomazi National Park in our monthly data.