Steppe Eagle

SCI Name:  Aquila nipalensis
Protonym:  Circaëtus nipalensis As.Res. 18 pt2 p.13 pl.1
Taxonomy:  Accipitriformes / Accipitridae / Aquila
Taxonomy Code:  steeag1
Type Locality:  Nepal.
Author:  Hodgson
Publish Year:  1833
IUCN Status:  Endangered

DEFINITIONS

AQUILA
(Accipitridae; † Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos) L. aquila  eagle  ?<  aquilus  dark-coloured; the Golden Eagle was the emblem of the Roman legions, whose standards or eagles bore the likeness of an eagle with raised wings; "Aquila. Genus 9.  ...  Genus Aquilinum ...  Digiti quatuor, membranis destituti; tres scilicet antici, posticus unus; omnes circiter usque ad exortum discreti: Crura ad calcaneum usque plumosa: Rostrum breve, primum rectum, dein aduncum; ad basin cute nuda tectum: Caput plumosum.  ...  **1. L'AIGLE  ...  AQUILA." (Brisson 1760): based on "Aquila" of many previous authors; "Aquila Brisson, Orn., 1, 1760, p. 28, 419.  Type, by tautonymy, Aquila Brisson = Falco chrysaëtos Linné." (Peters, 1931, I, p. 253).
Var. Aquilla, Aquilo.   
Synon. Aetos, Aetus, Afraetus, Cassinaetus, Chrysaetus, Euaquila, Micraetus, Morphnaetos, Psammoaetus, Pteroaetus, Taphaetus, Uroaetus.

aquila
L. aquila  eagle  ?<  aquilus  dark-coloured.
● "XIII. AIGLE COMMUN.   FALCO AQUILA.  ...  Aquila Valeria. ARISTOTE, Hist. anim.  Falco fulvus. LINNÉ, Syst. nat.  Chrysaëtos, cauda albo cincta. RAY, Syn.  ...  En Tartarie on leur apprend à chasser les lièvres, les renards et même les loups" (Daudin 1800) (syn. Aquila chrysaetos).
● "66. PELECANUS.  ...  Aquilus.  2. P. cauda forficata, corpore nigro, capite abdomineque albis. Amœn. acad. 4. p. . .   Pelecanus Aquilus. Osb. iter. 292.  Alcyon major pulla, cauda pulla, cauda longiore bifurca. Brown jam. 483.  Cari pira Laët. amer. 575.  Man of var.[sic] Sloan. jam. I. p. 30.  Avis Rabo focardo. Pet. gaz. t. 45. f. 1.?  Frigate bird. Alb. av. 3. p. 75. t. 80. male.  Habitat in Insula Adscensionis aliisque pelagicis, vitam agens Diomedeæ exulis, cui similis." (Linnaeus 1758); from the very sharp, eagle-like bill of the Ascension Frigatebird (Fregata).

nipalense / nipalensis
Nepal or, formerly, Nipal or Nepaul. According to legend Nepal means "the place protected by the Hindu sage Ne."

SUBSPECIES

Steppe Eagle (orientalis)
SCI Name: Aquila nipalensis orientalis
orientale / orientalis
L. orientalis  eastern, oriental  < oriens, orientis  east.
● Asia; ex “Anser moschoviticus” of Albin 1731-1738, and “Anser chinensis” of Linnaeus 1747 (syn. Anser cygnoides).
● India; ex Ardea antigone Linnaeus, 1758, “Grus orientalis” of Brisson 1760, and “Indian Crane” of Latham 1785 (syn. Antigone antigone).
● East Indies (= Seram and New Guinea); ex “Casoar des Indes orientales” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 313 (syn. Casuarius casuarius).
● India; ex “Eastern Parrot” of Latham 1781 (?syn. Eclectus roratus).
● East Indies (= Amboina); ex “Coucou noir des Indes” (= ♂) and “Coucou tacheté des Indes” (=♀) of Brisson 1760 (subsp. Eudynamys scolopaceus).
● East Indies (=Java); ex “Rollier des Indes” of Brisson 1760 (Eurystomus).
● East Indies; ex “Merula indica” of Brisson 1760, “Merle des Indes Orientales” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 273, fig. 2, and “Ash-rumped Thrush” of Latham 1783 (syn. Lalage nigra).
● India; ex “Indian Bee-eater” and “Coromandel Bee-eater” of Latham 1782-1787 (Merops).
● Asia; ex “Onocrotalus” or “Pelecanus” of previous authors (syn. Pelecanus onocrotalus).
● "91. TETRAO.  ...  orientalis.  12. T. pedibus antice pilosis: abdomine gulaque atra, collari ferrugineo, cauda cuneiformi.  Tetrao orientalis. Hasselq. it. 278. n. 43.  Perdix damascena. Will. orn. 128.  Francolin. Tournef. it. I. p. 158. t. 158.  Habitat in Oriente." (Linnaeus 1758) (Pterocles).
● China; ex “Tourterelle brune de la Chine” of Sonnerat 1782, and “Chinese Turtle” of Latham 1783 (Streptopelia).
● China; ex “China Owl” of Latham 1801 (syn. Strix seloputo).

Steppe Eagle (nipalensis)
SCI Name: Aquila nipalensis nipalensis
nipalense / nipalensis
Nepal or, formerly, Nipal or Nepaul. According to legend Nepal means "the place protected by the Hindu sage Ne."