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Alternative names: Sanford's Fish Eagle; Solomon Islands Fish/Sea Eagle; Solomon Fish/Sea Eagle
- Haliaeetus sanfordi
Identification
70–90 cm. Whitish brown to bright brown on the head and the neck. The underparts are tinged from brown to reddish brown and dark brown. The upperparts are coloured from darkish brown to grey black. The eyes are bright brown. This species has an entirely dark tail throughout its life.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Haliaeetus sanfordi is monotypic.
It has been proposed that this taxon be treated as a subspecies of White-bellied Sea Eagle H. leucogaster (BirdLife International, 2008, citing Debus, 2006).
Habitat
Coastal forests and lakes to an altitude of 1500m.
Status
Classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List (BirdLife International, 2008).
Behaviour
It breeds between August and October and 2 eggs are laid.
The diet includes tideline carrion, fish, molluscs, crabs, tortoises, and sea snakes.
References
BirdLife International (2008) Species factsheet: Haliaeetus sanfordi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 3/7/2008.
Debus, S. (2006) Taxonomic status of Sanford's Sea-eagle. Boobook 24: 8.