Wp/nys/Waalitj (Wedge Tailed Eagle)

Waalitj up there, showing wedge tail

Waalitj at Symbio Wildlife Park, New South Wales

Waalitj or Wedge Tailed Eagle, is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs, and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. Its scientific name is Aquila audax.

Near Kambalda in the Goldfields, at the St Ives mine owned by South Africa's Gold Fields, nine unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs - also known as 'drones') costing $10,000 each have been taken down by wedge-tailed eagles, which are known to have wingspans more than twice that of the 1-metre-wide UAVs.