Sea eagle
Sea eagles | |
---|---|
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Accipitriformes |
Family: | Accipitridae |
Subfamily: | Haliaeetinae Savigny, 1809 |
Genus | |
A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern, mostly in reference to the white-tailed eagle) is any of the birds of prey in the subfamily Haliaeetinae[2] of the bird of prey family Accipitridae. Ten extant species exist, currently described with this label.
The subfamily has a significant reach, with a scholarly article in 2005 reporting that they were "found in riverine and coastal habitat[s] throughout the world". However, Haliaeetinae inhabited areas have experienced particular threats given the context of
Taxonomy and evolution
The genus Haliaeetus was introduced in 1809 by French naturalist Marie Jules César Savigny in his chapter on birds in the Description de l'Égypte.[4][5] The two fish eagles in the genus Ichthyophaga were found to lie within Haliaeetus in a genetic study in 2005.[3] They were then moved accordingly. They are very similar to the tropical Haliaeetus species. A prehistoric (i.e. extinct before 1500) form from Maui in the Hawaiian Islands may represent a species or subspecies in this genus.
The relationships to other genera in the family are less clear; they have long been considered closer to the genus
A 2005 molecular study found that the genus is
Evolution
Haliaeetus is possibly one of the oldest genera of living birds. A
The origin of the sea eagles and fishing eagles is probably in the general area of the
The rate of
Issues in the modern era
The Haliaeetinae subfamily is an especially threatened collection of creatures within the broader Accipitridae species, according to the academic journal
Species
Current sea eagles
Image | Genus | Living Species |
---|---|---|
Haliaeetus Savigny, 1809 |
| |
Icthyophaga (Lesson, 1843) |
|
Description
Sea eagles vary in size, from Sanford's sea eagle, averaging 2–2.7 kilograms (4.4–6.0 lb), to Steller's sea eagle, weighing up to 9 kg (20 lb).[6] At up to 6.9 kg (15 lb 3 oz), the white-tailed eagle is the largest eagle in Europe. Bald eagles can weigh up to 6.3 kg (13 lb 14 oz), making them the largest eagle native to North America. There are exceptional records of even heavier individuals in both the white-tailed and bald eagles, although not surpassing the largest Steller's sea eagles. The white-bellied sea eagle can weigh up to 4.5 kg (9 lb 15 oz).[6] They are generally overall brown (from rich brown to dull grey-brown), often with white to the head, tail or underparts. Some of the species have an all-yellow beak as adults, which is unusual among eagles.[6]
Their diets consist mainly of fish, aquatic birds, and small mammals. Nests are typically very large and positioned in a tree, but sometimes on a cliff.[6]
The tail is entirely white in adult Haliaeetus species except for Sanford's, white-bellied, and Pallas's. Three
In popular culture
- The bald eagle is the national symbol of the United States.
- The silver eagle on red shield on the arms of Poland has been interpreted as the sea eagle.
- Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have the African fish eagle as their national bird.
- The white-tailed eagle is the national bird of Poland.
- The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL).
- Nesting pairs of both the bald eagle and white-bellied sea eagle have been subject to live-streaming webcam footage.[12][13]
- In Pandionidaeand are not classified as true sea eagles.
See also
- Brahminy kite, also called "red-backed sea eagle"
- Osprey, also called "sea hawk"
References
- ^ "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
- Pandion haliaetus) and haliaeetus.
- ^ PMID 15925523.
- ^ Savigny, Marie Jules César (1809). Description de l'Égypte: Histoire naturelle Volume 1 (in French). Paris: Imprimerie impériale. pp. 68, 85.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 1. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 299.
- ^ a b c d e del Hoyo, Elliott & Sargatal 1994.
- ^ Brown, L. H, & Amadon, D. (1968). Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. Country Life Books, Feltham.
- ^ a b c d Wink, Heidrich & Fentzloff 1996.
- ^ LM2005.pdf
- ^ Rasmussen, D., Tab, O., Storrs, L., & Simons, E. L. (1987). Fossil Birds from the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 62: 1–20. PDF Fulltext (file size 8.1 MB)
- Lambrecht, K.(1933). Handbuch der Palaeornithologie. Gebrüder Bornträger, Berlin.
- ^ AFP (5 April 2011). "Eagle cam becomes net sensation". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ "Sea-Eagle CAM". Sea Eagle Cam, BirdLife Australia. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
General sources
- del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J., eds. (1994). ISBN 84-87334-15-6.
- Wink, M.; Heidrich, P.; Fentzloff, C. (1996). "A mtDNA phylogeny of sea eagles (genus Haliaeetus) based on nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome b gene" (PDF). Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 24 (7–8): 783–791. .