Grey-headed Fish Eagle
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| Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus (Horsfield, 1821) |
The Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.
Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south east Asia and the Philippines. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays two to four eggs.
Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a largish stocky raptor at about 70-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown wings and back, a grey head and reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs and tail are white, the latter having a black terminal band.
Sexes are similar, but young birds have a pale buff head, underparts and underwing, all with darker streaking.
Grey-headed Fish Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist fish eater which hunts over lakes, lagoons and large rivers.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
- Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol, Inskipp, Tim & Byers, Clive (1999): Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.. ISBN 0-691-04910-6
