Tawny eagle chick hatched in Moscow Zoo

A tawny eagle chick hatched at Moscow Zoo under the Moscow Department of Culture. You can see it in the old part of the Zoo.

"The parents are a seasoned, reproducing pair, and the new chick has been the first one to hatch in their new home at the Birds of Prey Rock." The female and the male eagle moved there a few years ago. Golden eagles and Eastern imperial eagles occupy the same enclosure. Initially, the golden eagles used to show interest in their neighbors' new family member, so the parents had to protect the chick from their unwanted attention. We do not yet know the sex of the young eagle; that will be revealed later," says Svetlana Akulova, Director General of the Moscow Zoo.

The female tawny eagle is 17 years old, while the male is 18, both born in the Moscow Zoo. These birds of prey form lifelong pairs.

The tawny eagle is a large bird with long and broad wings and a short, rounded tail. Adult birds' feathers are brownish-gray. Their bodies can grow up to 77 centimeters long; male eagles can weight up to 4.6 kilograms, females up to 5.5.

Their eggs' shells are thick, with brownish spots; they hatch in 39 to 45 days. Chicks stay in the nest for 65 days at most and become fully independent after 80 days.

The tawny eagle habitat lies in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China, with the largest population found in Kazakhstan. The species is on the Russian Red List and the IUCN Red List as one on the verge of extinction.

American Flamingo Chicks Hatch at Moscow ZooPapuan hornbill chick hatches at Moscow Zoo

In early 2025, Moscow Zoo set a world record for the number of animal species in its collection, with 1253 species; by 2026, their number approached 1280. That was the result of the long-term effort taken by zoologists, veterinarians, keepers, and other staff.