![]() The white-bellied sea eagle is revered by indigenous people in many parts of Australia, and is the subject of various folk tales throughout its range. Human disturbance to its habitat is the main threat, both from direct human activity near nests which impacts on breeding success, and from removal of suitable trees for nesting. It is ranked as Threatened in Victoria and Vulnerable in South Australia and Tasmania. Although rated as Least Concern globally, it has declined in parts of southeast Asia such as Thailand, and southeastern Australia. Opportunistic, it consumes carrion and a wide variety of animals. Resident from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia on coasts and major waterways, the white-bellied sea eagle breeds and hunts near water, and fish form around half of its diet. Immature birds have brown plumage, which is gradually replaced by white until the age of five or six years. Like many raptors, the female is larger than the male, and can measure up to 90 cm (35 in) long with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m (7.2 ft), and weigh 4.5 kg (9.9 lb). ![]() The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetinae species. The upper parts are grey and the black under-wing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. A distinctive bird, the adult white-bellied sea eagle has a white head, breast, under-wing coverts and tail. ![]() Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's sea eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies. The white-bellied sea eagle ( Icthyophaga leucogaster), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Photo: Forestowlet / CC BY-SA 4.0 / en.wikipedia.Range of both this species and Sanford's sea eagle shown in green, but the latter demarcated within a paler blue circle In some incidents where brahminy kites mobbed steppe eagles ( Aquila rapax), they were attacked and injured or killed.Ī number of ectoparasitic bird lice in the genera Kurodaia, Colpocephalum, and Degeeriella have been reported. They may mob larger raptors such as the Aquila eagles. They roost communally on large and isolated trees and as many as 600 have been seen at one location. When fishing over water, they may sometimes land in the water, but manage to swim and take off without much trouble. Young birds may indulge in play behaviour, dropping leaves and attempting to catch them in the air. A rare instance of a bird feeding on honey at the hive of Apis florea has been recorded. Brahminy kites have even been recorded taking advantage of Irrawaddy dolphins herding fish to the surface, in the Mekong River. They may also indulge in kleptoparasitism and attempt to steal prey from other birds. It is primarily a scavenger, feeding mainly on dead fish and crabs, especially in wetlands and marshland, but occasionally hunts live prey such as hares and bats. ![]() The incubation period is about 26 to 27 days. Both parents take part in nest building and feeding, but likely only the female incubates. A clutch of two dull-white or bluish-white oval eggs measuring 52 x 41 mm is laid. In some rare instances, they have been seen to nest on the ground under trees. They show considerable site fidelity nesting in the same area year after year. The nests are constructed of small branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lined with leaves, and are located in various trees, often mangroves. In southern and eastern Australia, it is August to October, and April to June in the north and west. The breeding season in South Asia is from December to April. Photo: Md shahanshah bappy / CC BY-SA 4.0 / en. flavirostris Condon & Amadon, 1954 – Solomon Islands girrenera (Vieillot, 1822) – New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and north Australia intermedius Blyth, 1865 – Malay Peninsula, Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi and the Philippines The brahminy kite is now placed with the whistling kite in the genus Haliastur that was erected by the English naturalist Prideaux John Selby in 1840. Neither Brisson nor Buffon included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Falco indus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. It was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. The brahminy kite was included by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. He used the French name L'aigle de Pondichery. In 1760, French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson described and illustrated the Brahminy kite in the first volume of his Oiseaux based on a specimen collected in Pondicherry, India.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |