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28 January 2024: Day 10, Chobe Nationwide Park by boat, Botswana — Street Scholar Southern Africa Birding Safari. Click on right here to see (usually) the place I’m at the moment.
In Africa there’s a fish consuming eagle that has many traits in frequent our personal bald eagle. It eats fish, builds a stick nest close to water, has a white head and tail, and perches and calls in pairs.
Previous to 2018 it was in the identical genus as North America’s bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) however DNA proof moved the African fish eagle to Icthyophaga vocifer, the “fish-eater with loud voice.” It’s carefully associated to the Madagascar fish eagle (I. vociferoides).
Nonetheless it behaves quite a bit like a bald eagle. This description of the African fish eagle could possibly be written in regards to the bald eagle, together with the behavior of stealing fish from ospreys.
… Purple-knobbed Coot are necessary prey along with fish. Hunts primarily from a perch by swooping right down to pluck prey from close to the water floor, rowing bigger prey to shore. Not often hunts when hovering, however frequently pursues and pirates different piscivorous [fish-eating] birds. Perches for 85–95% of day in productive tropical habitat. Normally solitary, however greater than 100 might collect at concentrations of stranded fish.
If you happen to watch bald eagles, you’ll acknowledge the African fish eagle’s searching approach.
African fish eagles are louder than bald eagles; they sound virtually like gulls. Simply as for bald eagles the feminine is bigger — she’s on the left.
Right here’s a pair of bald eagles calling for comparability. Their voices are a lot softer.
It’s no surprise that these two had been in the identical genus for thus lengthy.
(credit are within the captions)
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