A juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti in the northwestern Italian Alps: first accepted record for Italy

Abstract

The first accepted record of the Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti for Italy is reported, based on a juvenile individual spotted in the northwestern Italian Alps (Aosta Valley) on August 24, 2025, at approximately 2,650 m a.s.l. The sighting was documented by several photographs. Diagnostic plumage characters, including uniform tawny coloration and dark flight feathers with a translucent window on the inner primaries, allowed confident separation from similar species. This Italian sighting represents the twelfth European record (since 1999) of the species outside its breeding range in the Iberian Peninsula, and may reflect the current positive population trend. A review of extra-limital records indicates that most observations involve juveniles or immatures during the dispersal period. Many eagle species can be difficult to identify in the field. For this reason, to ascertain vagrant species careful documentation is needed, also in view of the possible presence of anomalous or hybrid individuals.