Pallas's Fish Eagle

Haliaeetus leucoryphus

Photo by vkalia. Location: Corbett NP, India

Identification

76-84 cm (30-34 in) in length and its wingspan can reach 205 cm (81 in). Light brown hood over a white face. Dark brown wings, rufous back, darker underneath. The tail is black with a wide, distinctive white stripe. Underwings have a white band. Juveniles are overall darker with no band on the tail.

Distribution

Central Asia - between the Caspian Sea and the Yellow Sea, from Kazakhstan and Mongolia to the Himalayas and northern India.

Taxonomy

This species is the most hard-to-place sea-eagle. Among the species of its genus, it has no close living relatives. mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data is unable to reliably suggest a phylogenetic place for it among the sea-eagles.

Habitat

Lakes and large rivers, sometimes inland seas, sometimes coastal in winter.

Behaviour

Its diet consists primarily of large freshwater fish.

External Links

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