African Fish Eagle: Difference between revisions

The '''African fish eagle''' (''Haliaeetus vocifer'')<ref>''Etymology'': ''Haliaeetus'', New Latin for "sea eagle". ''vocifer'', from [[Latin]] ''vox'', "voice" + ''-fer'', one who bears something, in allusion to the conspicuous yelping calls. These are, when sitting, given with the head fully thrown to the back, a peculiarity found among sea eagles only in this and the [[Madagascar]] [[species]].</ref> or – to distinguish it from the true [[Ichthyophaga|fish eagle]]s (''Ichthyophaga''), the '''African sea eagle''' – is a large species of [[eagle]] that is found throughout [[sub-Saharan Africa]] wherever large bodies of open water occur that have an abundant food supply. It is the [[List of national birds|national bird]] of Zimbabwe, [[Zambia]] and South Sudan. As a result of its large range, it is known in many languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birds.com/species/a-b/african-fish-eagle/ |title=African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) - Birds.com: Online Birds Guide with Facts, Articles, Videos, and Photos |publisher=Birds.com |date= |accessdate=2012-12-12}}</ref> Examples of names include:

The African fish eagle is a species placed in the genus ''Haliaeetus'' (sea eagles). The African fish eagle's closest relative appears to be the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle (''H. vociferoides''). Like all sea eagle species pairs, this one consists of a white-headed species (the African fish eagle) and a tan-headed one. These are an ancient lineage of sea eagles, and as such have dark talons, beaks, and eyes.{{sfn|Wink|Heidrich|Fentzloff|1996|p=}} Both species have at least partially white tails even as juveniles. The scientific name is derived from ''Haliaeetus'', New Latin for "sea eagle" (from the Ancient Greek ''haliaetos''), and ''vocifer'' is derived from its original genus name, so named by the French naturalist François Levaillant, who called it 'the vociferous one'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fourie|first=Pieter J|title=Media Studies: Policy, Management and Media Representation|year=2010|publisher=Juta and Company Ltd|isbn=978-0-7021-7675-3|page=370}}</ref>

The African fish eagle is a large bird, and the female, at {{convert|3.2|-|3.6|kg|lb|abbr=on}} is larger than the male, at {{convert|2|-|2.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. This is typical of sexual dimorphism in birds of prey. Males usually have a wingspan of about {{convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}}, while females have wingspans of {{convert|2.4|m|ft|abbr=on}}. The body length is {{convert|63|–|75|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}}. The adult is very distinctive in appearance with a mostly brown body with a white head like the bald eagle and large, powerful, black wings. The head, breast, and tail of African fish eagles are snow white, with the exception of the featherless face, which is yellow. The eyes are dark brown in colour. The hook-shaped beak, ideal for a carnivorous lifestyle, is yellow with a black tip. The [[plumage]] of the juvenile is brown in colour, and the eyes are paler compared to the adult. The feet have rough soles and are equipped with powerful talons in order to enable the eagle to grasp slippery aquatic prey. While this species mainly subsists on fish, it is opportunistic and may take a wider variety of prey such as waterbirds. Its distinctive cry is, for many, evocative of the spirit or essence of Africa.<ref>http://www.wilkinsonsworld.com/tag/african-fish-eagle/</ref><ref name="thebookingcompany1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookingcompany.net/botswana/birds-botswana/fish-eagle|title=Fish Eagle |publisher=The Booking Company |date= |accessdate=2012-12-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://artofthewildrogerbrown.blogspot.com/2011/05/cry-of-african-fish-eagle.html |title=Art Of The Wild by Roger Brown.: Cry of the African Fish Eagle |publisher=Artofthewildrogerbrown.blogspot.com |date=2011-05-10 |accessdate=2012-12-12}}</ref> The call, shriller when uttered by males, is a ''weee-ah, hyo-hyo'' or a ''heee-ah, heeah-heeah''.<ref name="thebookingcompany1"/>

The bird is the national bird of Zambia and appears on the [[Zambian flag]] and also on the [[Coat of arms of Zambia]]. The bird also appears on the Zimbabwean flag. The bird figures in the Coat of arms of Namibia. It also appears on the Coat of arms of South Sudan against two crossed bush spears and a shield.