White-bellied Sea-Eagle

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Family: Accipitridae

760mm (M), 840mm (F)

Wingspan: 2200mm

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) also known as White-breasted Fish-Hawk or White-breasted Sea-Eagle is a large raptor that has long, broad wings and a short, wedge-shaped tail. It measures 75–85 cm in length, and has a wingspan of 180–220 cm. Females weigh between 2.8 and 4.2 kg, and are larger than the males, which weigh between 2.5 and 3.7 kg

The plumage of adult birds is predominantly white and grey. The head, breast and belly, and the feathering on the legs, are white. The back and upper surfaces of the wings are grey, although the wings have black tips. The undersides of the wings are greyish-black around the distal edges, with a smaller area of white along the leading edge. The tail is grey at the base, and has a white tip. The bill is bluish-grey with a blackish tip, the iris is dark brown, and the legs and feet are a cream colour (Clunie 1994; Marchant & Higgins 1993).

The White-bellied Sea-eagle is distributed around the Australian coastline, including Tasmania, and well inland along rivers and wetlands of the Murray Darling Basin. In New South Wales it is widespread along the east coast, and along all major inland rivers and waterways.

Habitats are characterised by the presence of large areas of open water including larger rivers, swamps, lakes, and the sea. Occurs at sites near the sea or sea-shore, such as around bays and inlets, beaches, reefs, lagoons, estuaries and mangroves; and at, or in the vicinity of freshwater swamps, lakes, reservoirs, billabongs and saltmarsh. Terrestrial habitats include coastal dunes, tidal flats, grassland, heathland, woodland, and forest (including rainforest).

Breeding habitat consists of mature tall open forest, open forest, tall woodland, and swamp sclerophyll forest close to foraging habitat. Nest trees are typically large emergent eucalypts and often have emergent dead branches or large dead trees nearby which are used as ‘guard roosts’. Nests are large structures built from sticks and lined with leaves or grass.

Feed mainly on fish and freshwater turtles, but also waterbirds, reptiles, mammals and carrion.

Hunts its prey from a perch or whilst in flight (by circling slowly, or by sailing along 10–20 m above the shore). Prey is usually carried to a feeding platform or (if small) consumed in flight, but some items are eaten on the ground.

May be solitary, or live in pairs or small family groups consisting of a pair of adults and dependent young.

Typically lays two eggs between June and September with young birds remaining in the nest for 65-70 days.

Sources:

https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=943

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=20322