Cool Facts About The African Fish Eagle

• The African Fish Eagle is a large raptor that shares a genus with the North American Bald Eagle, the Madagascar Fish Eagle, and five other fish consuming “Sea Eagles.”
  
• These Eagles vary in length from about 65-75cm with the females of the species being both larger and having a greater wingspan than the males
• Known by its brown and black plumage paired with a white head and tail, the African Fish Eagle has yellow beak with a black tip, a colour scheme mirrored in its yellow feet and black talons.
• Juvenile eagles have less white in their coloration and can take up to five years to attain their full adult plumage.  Chicks are born with white down.

A Diverse Diet

Believe it or not, African Fish Eagles live throughout the continent of Africa (shocking, right?), spanning from the southern reaches of the Sahara Desert down to the tip of Africa.  Although they live in areas close to freshwater rivers and lakes, they can also be found near the coast at river mouths and inlets.  African Fish Eagles also require tall trees as part of their habitat. Why do they need tall trees, you ask?

As its name suggests, the African Fish Eagle eats fish.  They wait in tall trees above a body of water and then swoop down, using their talons to grab their prey.  They typically catch fish that weighs around 1kg; however, if a catch is too heavy for them to carry during flight, they will drag it across the water surface and onto the shore.  While fish may be the primary diet for the African Fish Eagles, they also consume a variety of other animals, such as reptiles, including turtles and young crocodiles, monkeys, adult birds, and insects, and have even been known to eat carrion (dead animals).  Not to mention, the African Fish Eagles has occasionally raided colonies of water birds, preying upon the young birds and the eggs.  African Fish Eagle pairs will also share kills with one another.

A Little Bit of Thievery

Even more impressively, African Fish Eagles will actually steal catches from other birds.  They swoop down and assault the other bird mid-air to snatch away the prey.  This behaviour is known as kleptoparasitism. I am struggling with this fact since on one hand it is really cool but on the other hand, these birds are jerks and nobody likes a jerk. What do you think – Cool or Jerky? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.