White-tailed eagle
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The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne or White-tailed Sea Eagle is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites and harriers.
This is a very large eagle which breeds in northern Europe and Asia. It has been successfully re-introduced to the Western Isles of Scotland, and it now breeds on the islands of Mull, Skye, Lewis as well as the mainland coast of Wester Ross. The White-Tailed Eagle is still a rare breeder in Britain following its extinction and reintroduction. The largest population in Europe is found along the coast of Norway.
On May 22, 2006 it was announced that a pair of White-tailed Eagles were breeding in a nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands. This is the first time the bird has bred in the Netherlands.
White-tailed Eagles are mostly resident, only the most northerly birds move further south in winter.
The Eagle's diet is varied, including fish, birds, carrion and sometimes rodents.
This is a huge bird, 76-92 cm long with a 190-240 cm wingspan. Females are significantly larger than the males. The White-tailed Eagle has broad "barn door" wings, a large head and thick "meat-cleaver" beak. The adult is mainly brown except for the paler head and neck, distinctive white tail and yellow bill and legs. In juvenile birds the tail and bill are darker, with the tail becoming white with a dark terminal band in sub-adults.
White-tailed Eagles are sexually mature at 4 or 5 years of age. The nest is a huge edifice of sticks in a tree or on a coastal cliff. Nests are often reused.
Mated pairs produce one to three eggs per year.
Surplus chicks are sometimes removed from nests to use in reintroduction programs in areas where the species has died out. In such programs, the birds are raised in boxes on platforms in the tree canopy and fed in such a way that they cannot see the person supplying their food, until they are old enough to fly and thus find their own food.
The White-tailed Eagle is believed to be the one shown in the Polish Coat of Arms.
Gallery
See also
References
- BirdLife International (2005). [Haliaeetus albicilla]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is Near Threatened.
External links
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