Aquila Optimizer (AO) is a well-known nature-inspired optimization algorithm (NIOA) that was created in 2021 based on the prey grabbing behavior of Aquila. AO is a population-based NIOA that has demonstrated its effectiveness in the field of complex and nonlinear optimization in a short period of time. As a result, the purpose of this study is to provide an updated survey on the topic. This survey accurately reports on the designed enhanced AO variations and their applications. In order to properly assess AO, a rigorous comparison between AO and its peer NIOAs is conducted over mathematical benchmark functions. The experimental results show the AO provides competitive outcomes.