If you catch a broad shadow sweeping across the ground during your day here, take a moment to look up. You might be among the fortunate few to spot Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata)—one of Europe’s most magnificent, rare, and endangered birds of prey. At Agritenuta Buonanotte, nature remains wild and unspoiled, creating a quiet sanctuary that draws these majestic raptors to our skies.
How to spot Bonelli’s eagle in flight
This is no ordinary eagle. Belonging to the Accipitridae family, this medium-to-large predator commands the sky. If you are lucky enough to see one circling overhead, keep an eye out for a few key identifying features.
Adults feature dark reddish-brown plumage on their backs and pale, dark-streaked underparts. Their most distinctive signature is a bright white patch on their upper back, clearly visible when they bank or turn in flight. With an impressive wingspan stretching between 145 and 175 centimeters (nearly six feet), their presence overhead is striking and unmistakable.
Sicily: a final sanctuary in Italy
Named after the 18th-century Italian ornithologist Franco Andrea Bonelli, this raptor is critically endangered today. Only around 1,500 breeding pairs remain across Europe. In Italy, the situation is even more precarious, with an estimated population of just 13 to 18 breeding pairs. Now extinct in Sardinia and only sporadically sighted in Calabria, the species has made Sicily its last true refuge in Italy.
Here, Bonelli’s eagle finds its ideal environment: dense Mediterranean scrub and rugged cliff faces rising between 600 and 700 meters above sea level. From these high vantage points, they survey the terrain below to hunt wild rabbits and small birds.
A species worth protecting
The survival of this extraordinary predator hinges on a fragile balance. Populations have been severely threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal theft of chicks taken directly from cliffside nests. Against this delicate backdrop, knowing that Bonelli’s eagle still chooses to soar over our land fills us with immense pride and reinforces our commitment to environmental preservation every day.
So take a moment: look out toward the distant cliff faces, scan the horizon, and keep your eyes on the sky. A Bonelli’s eagle might be gliding right above you.