Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Aquila rapax

Aquila rapax

9.9
A medium-sized brown eagle that lives in Africa and parts of Asia, also called the tawny eagle
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Aquila rapax
  • Diet studies have shown that Aquila rapax is an opportunistic feeder, eating small mammals and carrion.

Examples

  • The Aquila rapax soars high above the savanna in search of prey.

  • Many birdwatchers travel to Africa to observe the majestic Aquila rapax in its natural habitat.

  • Look! An Aquila rapax!

  • The Aquila rapax is often seen soaring above the savannah.

  • Many birdwatchers travel to Africa to observe the majestic Aquila rapax in its natural habitat.

  • The Aquila rapax soars high above the savanna in search of prey.

  • The Aquila rapax is often seen soaring above the savannah.

Synonyms

tawny eagle
vsAquila rapax
  • Indian
8.8

A large brown eagle with pale reddish-brown feathers that lives in Africa and parts of Asia

is medium-sized rather than large in overall body size

Surface Forms

Aquila rapax singular
Aquila rapax plural

Morphology

Aquila + rapax

This is a Latin binomial (taxonomic) name: while 'Aquila' refers to eagles, the second element 'rapax' is not an English word here and is listed as not found, so a B1 learner who knows the given constituents would not be able to derive the specific species meaning ('tawny eagle'). Scientific names are conventional labels rather than compositional English phrases, making the overall meaning unpredictable from the parts.

Etymology

Aquila rapax comes from Latin words: aquila means 'eagle' and rapax comes from a word for 'to grab'. The image is of an eagle that grabs its food, which fits this brownish hunting bird often called the 'tawny eagle'.