A wedge-tailed eagle. Want a closer look? Check out More Eagle and Kite Photos. Enhance your experience: Watch Eagles in Action! To learn more about the zoo, check out The Australia Zoo in Depth. Ready for more? Head back to the Australia Zoo Map.

The magnificent wedge-tailed eagle is Australia's largest bird of prey. The Australia Zoo provides a safe haven for two such eagles, as well as a pair of captive-born whistling kites.

Amelia, an 8-year-old eagle, was kicked out of her nest while she was still very young. Hand-raised in Longreach, North Queensland, Amelia has a sincere fondness for people.

Tina is another 8-year-old eagle from Longreach. She was hit by a car and taken in by the people who found her. Misguided in their kindness, they put Tina in a cockatoo cage and fed her table scraps. Unfortunately the cage was too small and she developed metabolic bone disease as a result. She can no longer open her wings fully, which means she can no longer fly.

In the wild, wedge-tailed eagles soar at astonishing altitudes, often over one mile aboveground. As they ride the air currents they watch for prey — usually hares or rabbits — on the grassland far below.

Once an eagle locks in on a target, it will swoop down in a long, slanting nose dive and snatch the animal with its powerful talons. The force of the strike, combined with the crushing power of the eagle's massive talons, is usually enough to kill the prey instantaneously.

Wedge-tailed eagles typically select single, lifelong mates. As a couple, the eagles patrol a common territory, building several nests, including one for raising eaglets.

Hali, a female whistling kite, and Khan, a male, were both born in captivity. Hali's favorite activity is attacking the keepers, and Khan is often right behind her with an attack of his own.

The whistling kite's most distinctive trait is its loud, piercing call, which can be heard in great abundance throughout the Australian countryside, especially during the breeding season.