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Grey-headed Fish Eagle



         


Grey-headed Fish Eagle
Status: Lower Risk (nt)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Accipitriformes
Family:Accipitridae
Genus:Ichthyophaga
Species: ichthyaetus
Binomial name
Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
(Horsfield, 1821)

The Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to south east Asia and the Philippines. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays two to four eggs.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a largish stocky raptor at about 70-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown wings and back, a grey head and reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs and tail are white, the latter having a black terminal band.

Sexes are similar, but young birds have a pale buff head, underparts and underwing, all with darker streaking.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist fish eater which hunts over lakes, lagoons and large rivers.

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