This bird’s conspicuous nature and charismatic presence ensure it figures prominently in the folklore and heraldry of several nations.And seeing that it has this title, why don’t we learn a little Posted in Birding, Luke Tagged African Fish-Eagle, Bird of the Year 2012, Birding, Birdlife, birds, Birds and. So quite fittingly, it just has to be the Bird of the Year. It is also the sound of Africa and is one of the more common raptors in the country. In addition, other prey includes ducks, terrapins, crocodiles, small waterfowl and even – in the soda lakes of East Africa – flamingos. The African Fish-Eagle is most definitely the icon of wetland birds. Incidentally, fish are not the only item on the menu of this versatile predator.A fish eagle’s toes are coated in sharp barbs, called spiricules, which consequently help it to grasp fish and other slippery prey.Common victims of this piratical behaviour include goliath herons and saddle-billed stork. African fish eagles are kleptoparasites, which is to say they habitually steal prey from other species.This is one of the most ancient genera among all living birds. The African fish eagle is not a ‘true’ eagle but belongs to the Haliaeetus genus of sea eagles, alongside seven other species worldwide that include the American bald eagle and the Eurasian white-tailed eagle.
And the bird itself, in all its black, white and chestnut finery, is equally unmistakable. Often described as the sound of Africa, the African fish eagle evokes images of lazy rivers and palm-fringed lake shores, often in duet with the grunting of hippos. Once you hear it you will never forget it.
When close to the nest they produce a soft “quock”.African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) The cries of a Fish Eagle are forever imprinted in your memory of Africa. The typical call, shriller when uttered by males, is a "weee-ah, hyo-hyo or a heee-ah, heeah-heeah". It is also known to eat carrion and is classified. Although, as its name suggests, it feeds extensively on fish, in some areas (eg Lake Bogoria) it preys on flamingos and other water birds. It is particularly common in and around some of the Rift Valley lakes. Males have higher-pitched calls and females are less noisy. The African Fish Eagle has a very distinctive call which is one of the distinctive sounds of Kenya (once heard it is never forgotten). These birds communicate with each other vocally, usually in order to establish and maintain territories. African fish eagles are known to steal the catch of other bird species (such as goliath herons) this behavior is known as kleptoparasitism. If it catches a fish too heavy to allow the eagle to sustain flight, it will drop into the water and paddle to the nearest shore with its wings. Should African fish eagles catch prey over ten times their own body weight, it is too heavy to allow the eagle to get lift, so it instead drags the fish across the surface of the water until it reaches the shore. African fish eagles have structures on their toes called spiricules that allow them to grasp fish and other slippery prey. They snatch the prey from the water with their large, clawed talons and then fly back to their perch to eat the catch. Being very efficient hunters, African fish eagles spend little time hunting their prey, which they swoop down upon from a perch in a tree. They live in pairs and spend most of their time perched on branches near the body of water.
African fish eagles are active during the day (diurnal).
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