RAPTORS
Eagels | Falcons | Hawks | Owls

EAGLES

Bird: African Fish Eagle
(Haliaeetus vocifer)

Range:
Found in Africa from southern Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia east through southern Mali, southern Niger, and southern Sudan to Ethiopia and Somalia; and south to southern South Africa. Found near large rivers, dams, lakes, estuaries, wooded seacoasts, swamps, and lagoons. Occurring up to 7000 ft., though seldom breeding above 4000 ft.

Size:
Length: 63 - 73 cm (25 - 29 in.)
Wingspan: about 6 ft.
Weight: 3000 g

Diet:
Mainly fish; also waterbirds, small mammals, and carrion.

Description:
The adult's head, neck, mantle, breast, and tail are pure white. The scapulars, greater wing coverts, rump, uppertail coverts, and wing quills are black. The underside of the wing quills is slate. The belly, leg feathers, and lesser wing coverts are chestnut. The eyes are brown, the bare skin of the face and cere are bright yellow, and the feet are yellowish. The bill and claws are black and the wing tips extend beyond the short tail. The juvenile has whitish mottled head and leg feathers, a black eye line, and a brown body.

Natural History:
This bird is often heard calling from a perch or while flying. Either way, it always throws its head far back on its shoulders while uttering singing cries. These cries, often in duet, are most often heard at dawn and dusk and at the onset of the breeding season. These birds are usually found in pairs near water and several pairs may roost together outside the breeding season. A pair will remain together year round and as many as 60 individuals may be found together where food is plentiful. These birds hunt by catching fish off the surface of the water as they are coming up to get a breath of air. However, they will also steal prey and scraps from others. They nest in trees where available or else on the ground or in a low bush. The nest is built of large sticks and lined with papyrus heads, grass, green leaves, and weaver bird nests. Pairs reuse old nests and lay 1 - 3 white, normally unmarked eggs. They incubate for 44 - 45 days and nestlings fledge in 65 - 75 days. The lifespan of this species is approximately 12 - 15 years.

Personal History:
Victoria - Vicki has been flying at the Texas State Fair since 1988. As of December 1999, she is estimated to be at least 30 years old.
Nandi - Acquired by NEI in March 1999 at an estimated age of at least 30 years old.

Pictured above is our newest addition, Fry, an African Fish Eagle hatched on January 8, 2001. Fry is pictured at 14 days old, 22 days old, 31 days old, 41 days old, 8 weeks old, 12 weeks old, and 6 months old.

Back

Bird: Bald Eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Range:
The North American continent south to southern Florida, the coast of Baja California, and Mexico. Found on Bering Island, the Aleutian Islands, and the islands off the coast of British Columbia; but not on the Canadian arctic islands or Greenland. Found in eastern Canada north to Ungava and Newfoundland. Reduced in most of its range but still common in parts of Florida, coastal Alaska, and northern British Columbia. Mostly restricted to coastlines, lakes, and rivers; but seen along mountain ranges during migration.

Size:
Length: 79 - 94 cm (31 - 37 in.)
Wingspan: 178 - 229 cm (70 - 90 in.)
Weight: 3500 - 4500 g

Bird: Bateleur Eagle
(Terathopius ecaudatus)

Range:
Found in Africa from southwest Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia east across southern Mali, southern Niger, and southern Chad. Also in central and southern Sudan to Ethiopia, Somalia, and southern Arabia. And, south to northern South Africa. Found in savanna, thornbush, and grassland habitat. They are one of the most common raptors in this habitat and range as high as 3000 m.

Size:
Length: 55 - 70 cm (22 - 28 in.)
Wingspan: Male 98 - 110 cm ; Female 100 - 110 cm ; approx. 6 - 7 ft.
Weight: 1850 - 2500 g

Diet:
A scavenger and carrion feeder, this bird eats birds, small mammals, snakes, reptiles, termites, and carrion. Will also pirate other carrion eating birds.

Description:
The head is large and cowled with erectile feathers. The adults' head and neck are black. The back, uppertail coverts, and tail are chestnut. The median and lesser wing coverts are brown with whitish tips and the greater wing coverts are black. The primaries are black above and pure white below with a black tip. The body below is black and the undertail coverts are chestnut. The underwing coverts are white. The bare skin of the face, cere, and legs is bright red and the eyes are dark brown. The beak is bright red with a black tip and the tail is extremely short (approximately 4 in.). There is a pale variant with a pale brown or cream, rather than chestnut, back and a light chestnut tail which may be as pale as the back. This variant is common in the drier parts of the bird's range. The adult female is similar to the male; but with the whole of the upperwing coverts brown and the secondaries mainly grey, with white on the inner web and the black tips on the white underside of the wing quills narrower than those of the male. In the pale phase, the secondaries are not wholly grey but only washed with grey. The immature is entirely brown, with a paler head and buff tips to most of the feathers. The tail is longer than that of the adult. The cere is greenish blue, the legs are grey, and the eyes are brown. They achieve adult plumage in approximately 6 years.

Natural History:
Bateleurs spend most of the day in flight and soar effortlessly at an average air speed of 35 - 50 mph. They cover an average of 200 air miles a day. "Bateleur" means tumbler or acrobat and these birds were so named because they are said to perform somersaults in flight. It is more accurate to say these birds are balancers since that better describes the continual canting from side to side that they do as they fly. Although they don't do somersaults, they can perform 360 degree sideways rolls. These birds are usually silent but barks and chatters can be heard at the nest. They have a greater number of secondary feathers (25) than any other bird of prey. They hunt by flying at low altitudes over large stretches of territory and also pirate other carrion eating birds furiously by repeatedly stooping at the other bird with rapidly flapping wings making a loud noise. Sometimes they actually strike the other bird while screaming harshly, but these attacks are usually unsuccessful. Both parents build the nest in a tree 20 - 60 ft. above the ground; close to a road or path or over a river bed. The nests are approximat