- Ichthyophaga vocifer
Haliaeetus vocifer
Identification
63–75 cm (24¾-29½ in)
- White head, breast and tail
- Dark wings
- Chestnut belly.
The eye is brown, the bill black, and the cere, lores , legs and feet are yellow.
Distribution
Africa: widespread and common over most of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to the Cape. Scarce or absent from much of Somalia and the arid south-west. Probably largely resident with dispersal in response to rains in more arid areas.
An extremely rare vagrant to the Western Palearctic recorded in Egypt in November 1947 and at Lake Nasser, a juvenile in October 1997. A record of three birds in Sinai in November 1967 is now rejected.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Rivers and lakes and along coasts and in estuaries and mangroves. Usually requires large trees for lookouts and nesting.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds mainly on fish (up to 3 kg), but also eats carrion, birds and eggs (rarely mammals, reptiles and insects). Food is often robbed from other waterbirds.
Vocalisation
The call is a loud, ringing WHOW-kayow-kwow.
References
- Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Aug 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) African Fish Eagle. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 8 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/African_Fish_Eagle
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
