First nesting pair of Little Eagles Hieraaetus morphnoides recorded in the Sydney region

Abstract

Although the Little Eagle Hieraaetus morphnoides is broadly distributed across much of Australia, it appears to be declining in New South Wales. The key threatening process is the removal of habitat, leading to loss of suitable nesting and foraging sites and changes in prey abundance. Here we present the first report of successful nesting of the Little Eagle in greater Sydney (i.e. in the County of Cumberland), and recommend guidelines for management. The nest, discovered in a Smooth-barked Apple Angophora costata in the suburb of Ingleside on 15 October 2016, was visited one to three times per week, and observations on behaviour, diet and habitat of the Eagles were noted. The most common prey species taken was the European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus . The chick fledged at c. 9 weeks old. The nest-site is at risk from a proposed development in the area and needs to be adaptively managed to ensure the continued presence and nesting of this species at this site.