Eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca).
Image: user:AngMoKio, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2025 global assessment of Aquila heliaca says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The eastern imperial eagle is a large eagle of open steppe and farmland. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
It often nests in lone trees in otherwise open landscapes.
Range & habitat
Steppe and open country from south-eastern Europe across Central Asia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Electrocution on power lines
- Poisoning
- Habitat loss and persecution
Why it matters
A steppe eagle threatened mainly by power lines and poison, the eastern imperial eagle is a flagship for safe infrastructure and grassland conservation across Eurasia.
Gallery
Eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca).
Image: user:AngMoKio, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Eastern Imperial Eagle
- IUCN Red List — look up Eastern Imperial Eagle (authoritative status)
- BirdLife International