The African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), not to be confused with the Bald Eagle which looks similar in appearance,
largely resides in areas of Sub Saharan Africa that are in close proximity to
large bodies of water. This is due
to the fact that these large birds of prey mainly gorge on fish and rely on the
abundant food supply that these bodies of water provide.
An adult African Fish Eagle (photo: the wikipedia files)
A female African Fish
Eagle can weigh upwards of 7-8 pounds, making these eagles one of the larger
species of raptor. Males have an
average wingspan of 6 feet, whereas females average about 8 feet. These birds are characterized by their
white head, chest, and tail. In
contrast, their wings, body, and eyes are dark in color. They have a hook-shaped beak that is
yellow with a dark tip and a bright yellow face. Juveniles have a similar appearance with scattered brown
plumage and lighter coloration in their eyes. Vocalizations from the African Fish Eagle are aweeh-ah,
hyo-hyo, or a hee-ah, heeah-heeah.
An African Fish Eagle dragging a heavy fish across the water (photo: the wikipedia files)
The African Fish Eagle
mainly feeds on fresh water fish.
The pads on the bottoms of their feet and toes have rough spiracles,
which allow them to grasp fish and other slippery prey. The birds swipe prey out of the water
and then carry their catch to a safe place to feed. When catching
prey that is large these eagles will drag their catch across the surface of the
water to the shore. In the event
these birds are unable to drag the heaviest of prey they will drop into the
water and paddle to the shore with the catch using their wings. These raptors have also been known to
feed on waterfowl, baby crocodiles, lizards, monitor lizards, frogs, hyraxes
(small mammals whose closest relative is the elephant), monkeys, carrion, and
occasionally domestic chickens.
African Fish Eagles are a
monogamous species that are known to mate for life. The breeding season for these raptors is during the dry
season when water levels are low.
These birds usually maintain two or more nests, which they often reuse
time and time again. Because of
this these nests, made up of mostly sticks and other pieces of wood, can grow
to be quite large. Some reach
almost six feet across and four feet in depth.
An African Fish Eagle egg (photo: the wikipedia files)
Females lay about 1-3
white eggs with red speckles. Eggs
are usually incubated by the female for anywhere between 42-45 days before
hatching. The chicks will depend
on their parents for upwards of three months after leaving the nest. The total time spent in the nest from
hatch to fledge is approximately 70-75 days.
A juvenile African Fish Eagle (photo: the wikipedia files)
Under the IUCN
(International Union for Conservation of Nature) , these raptors are listed as
“least concern”, giving these birds a healthy reputation for thriving in their
environment. Today, their
population number sits at about 300,000 throughout their range.
The next time you visit
the World Bird Sanctuary be sure to take a walk down the exhibit line just past
the wildlife hospital. Even though
we do not have African Fish Eagles, we do have a number of their cousins, the
Bald Eagle and also a White-tailed Sea Eagle from northern Europe.
Submitted by World Bird
Sanctuary Outreach Coordinator, Callie Plakovic
No comments:
Post a Comment