Australia's Wedge Tailed Eagle Silver Dollar This new series minted in Perth, Australia, marks its second year of issue with these 2015 dated coins. The coin has a number of parallels with the comparable American coin, the Silver Eagle. Its weight, size, and fineness are all identical to the American coin, as is the designer of the 'Eagle side' of the coin. Renowned sculptor and 12th chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John M. Mercanti, designed the eagle side of both coins. This is the first coin ever minted by a world mint that was designed by a U.S. Chief Engraver, past or present! Because this coin is only in its second year of issue with the 2015 dated coins, this is a great opportunity to get in on collecting them while they are a young set. They contain one full troy ounce of .999 fine silver, and have the guarantee of the Australian government that the weight and fineness are accurate minted right into the surface of the coin! The Wedge Tailed Eagle Scientifically known as Aquila audax, the Wedge Tailed Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia with a wing span that can reach outward to more than 7.5 feet in width, which also makes it one of the largest birds of prey in the entire world! They are a part of a family of birds that contain 12 different species around the world. Wedge Tailed Eagles and Bald Eagles are related only as far as their general family, in that they are both raptors and apex predators. They are otherwise unrelated to one another, as the Wedge Tailed Eagle is considered more of a land dwelling bird feeding mainly on land animals, preferably mammals. Bald Eagles are known to stay close to water and feed mainly on fish. The Wedge Tailed Eagle is so named because of the shape of its tail, which is actually a misnomer, because their large tails are more diamond shaped than wedge shaped, but either way they have a very distinctive shape that is not shared exactly with any other species. They are generally dark brown in color. Young Wedge Tailed Eagles start out light in color and darken to a blackish brown color after about ten years of life. Wedge Tailed Eagles are known to fly very high in the sky - up to 5,900 feet - without beating their wings or exerting any apparent effort. The reason why they fly so high is not known, but they are truly majestic birds to watch.

