African sea eagle
The African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply. It may resemble the Bald eagle in appearance; though related, each species occurs on different continents, with the Bald eagle being resident in North America. The distinctive cry of the African fish eagle is, for many, evocative of the spirit or essence of Africa.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe African fish eagle is a large bird. The adult is very distinctive in appearance with a mostly brown body with a white head and large, powerful, black wings. The head, breast, and tail of African fish eagles are snow white, except for the featherless face, which is yellow. The eyes are dark brown in color. The hook-shaped beak, ideal for a carnivorous lifestyle, is yellow with a black tip. The plumage of the juvenile is brown, and the eyes are paler than the adult's. The feet have rough soles and are equipped with powerful talons to enable the eagle to grasp slippery aquatic prey.
African fish eagles are native to sub-Saharan Africa, ranging over most of continental Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Several examples of places where they may be resident include the Orange River in South Africa and Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and Lake Malawi bordering Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique. African fish eagles occur in substantial numbers around the locations of Lake Victoria and other large lakes in central Africa, particularly the Rift Valley lakes. These large birds of prey require only open water with sufficient prey and a good perch. They inhabit grassland, swamps, marshes, tropical rainforests, fynbos, and even desert-bordering coastlines, such as that of Namibia. African fish eagles are quite common near freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, although they can sometimes be found near the coast at the mouths of rivers or lagoons. They are absent from arid areas with little surface water.
African fish eagles are active during the day (diurnal). They live in pairs and spend most of their time perched on branches near the body of water. Being very efficient hunters, African fish eagles spend little time hunting their prey, which they swoop down upon from a perch in a tree. They snatch the prey from the water with their large, clawed talons and then fly back to their perch to eat the catch. African fish eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish and other slippery prey. Should African fish eagles catch prey over ten times their own body weight, it is too heavy to allow the eagle to get lift, so it instead drags the fish across the surface of the water until it reaches the shore. If it catches a fish too heavy to allow the eagle to sustain flight, it will drop into the water and paddle to the nearest shore with its wings. African fish eagles are known to steal the catch of other bird species (such as goliath herons); this behavior is known as kleptoparasitism. These birds communicate with each other vocally, usually in order to establish and maintain territories. Males have higher-pitched calls and females are less noisy. The typical call, shriller when uttered by males, is a 'weee-ah, hyo-hyo or a heee-ah, heeah-heeah'. When close to the nest they produce a soft 'quock'.
African fish eagles are carnivores (piscivores) and feed mainly on fish. However, they also prey on birds, especially waterbirds such as ducks, ibis, storks, herons, greater and lesser flamingos, small turtles and terrapins, baby crocodiles, lizards, frogs, and carrion. Occasionally, they may even carry off mammalian prey, such as hyraxes and monkeys.
African fish eagles are monogamous and mate for life. They breed during the dry season when water levels are low. Pairs often maintain two or more nests, which they frequently reuse. Because nests are reused and built upon over the years, they can grow quite large, some reaching 2 m (6.0 ft) across and 1.2 m (3.9 ft) deep. The nests are placed in a large tree and are built mostly of sticks and other pieces of wood. The female lays 1 to 3 eggs, which are primarily white with a few reddish speckles. Incubation is mostly done by the female, but the male incubates when the female leaves to hunt. Incubation lasts for 42 to 45 days before the chicks hatch. Chicks fledge when they are around 70 to 75 days old. Postfledgling dependence lasts up to three months, whereafter the juveniles become nomadic and may congregate in groups away from territorial adults.
There are no major threats facing African fish eagles at present. However, their populations are negatively impacted by pollution and pesticides in water bodies and therefore in their fish prey; this could result in eggshell thinning.
According to the Wikipedia resource, the total population size of the African fish eagle is around 300,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) and its numbers today remain stable.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...