From Opus

Photo by Steve G
Kai Hai Islands, Central River Division, The Gambia, November 2005

Haliaeetus vocifer

[edit] Identification

White head, breast and tail, dark wings and chestnut belly. The eye is brown, the bill black, and the cere, lores, legs and feet are yellow.

[edit] 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.

Photo by africaddict
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, September 2007

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Rivers and lakes and along coasts and in estuaries and mangroves. Usually requires large trees for lookouts and nesting.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] 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.

[edit] Vocalisation

The call is a loud, ringing WHOW-kayow-kwow.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

• List of references

[edit] External Links