Our Station's Mascot

25 08 2022

 Driving into Rawnsley Park Station, you can’t miss our sign featuring one of the animals that calls the Ikara-Flinders Ranges home!

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is a constant feature in our sky above Rawnsley Park Station, and has been chosen by Tony and Julie Smith as our logo. Here’s 5 interesting facts about our mascot: the Wedge-tailed Eagle.

1. The Wedge-tailed Eagles is Australia’s largest bird of prey, and one of the world’s largest eagles.  They have an average wingspan of 2.3 metres, and occasionally up to 2.8 metres.  Females are larger than males and also weigh more than males.  Their large size means they can lift very large prey items - even up to 5 kilos!

2. Wedge-tailed eagles are carnivores and scavengers. Most of their diet consists of rabbits and brown hares but they also feed on larger mammals such as foxes, feral cats, wallabies, small kangaroos, possums, wombats, koalas, and bandicoots.

3. They mate for life. Once they have paired up, the Wedge-tailed Eagle will find a large territory and defend it together.  They will also share the duties of caring for their chicks and maintaining their nests.

4. They have large nests. A nest is typically formed in a tree but where they cannot find a suitable tree they use a cliff edge or even make it on the ground. It is made from sticks and lined with green leaves and twigs. The nest can measure 2.5m (8.2ft) across and 4m (13ft) deep. This nest is used for many years in a row with some having been used for 50 consecutive years. Some pairs maintain up to 10 nests and rotate their nest each year. We have spotted several nests on our station and through the national park. 

5. Their scientific name ‘Aquila audax’ translates as "bold eagle" in Latin.