The wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey. It was once considered to be a menace by farmers, who were convinced that eagles swooped down and carried lambs off in their talons. As a result, thousands of eagles were shot and poisoned. It is now known that wedge-tailed eagles mostly take rabbits, and seldom eat lambs — usually the carcasses of dead lambs rather than live ones. Nevertheless, in some parts of Australia, these majestic raptors are still shot and poisoned, despite being a legally protected species.