Black-bellied Whistling Duck

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) is a whistling duck which breeds in the southernmost USA and tropical Central and South America.

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is a common but wary species. It is largely resident, apart from local movements. It usually nests in hollow trees.

The habitat is quiet freshwater lakes, cultivated land or reservoirs with plentiful vegetation, where this duck feeds mainly at night on seeds and other plant food. It is highly gregarious, forming large flocks when not breeding.

The Black-bellied Whistling Duck is 48-53 cm long. It has a long red bill, long head and longish legs, pale grey head and mostly grey-brown plumage. The belly is black and the large white wing bar is visible in flight.

All plumages are similar, except that juveniles have a grey bill and less contrasted belly.

As the name implies, these are noisy birds with a clear whistling waa-chooo call.

Eagles in culture

The word

The modern English name of the bird is derived from the Latin term aquila by way of the French Aigle. The Latin aquila may derive from the word aquilus, meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish, as a description of the eagle's plumage; or from Aquilo, the Latin version of Greek Boreas, or north wind.

Old English used the term Earn, related to Scandinavia's Ørn. The etymology of this word is related to Greek ornos, literally meaning "bird". In this sense, the Eagle is the Bird with a capital B.

[edit] Eagles as national symbols

Coat of arms of the town of Berg en Terblijt in the Netherlands, an example of the prolific use of the eagle in European heraldry.

Napoleonic eagle

The eagle has been used by many nations as a national symbol, depicting power, beauty and independence.

• Arabic world. Many Arabic states and organisations use eagles as symbols, e.g. the PLO.
• Czech Republic. The Czech Republic integrates three historical parts: Bohemia (with a double-tailed lion in the emblem), Moravia and Silesia (both with female eagles in their emblems - red-and-white chequered and black).
• Hellenistic Egypt. The Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt used it as their seal.
• First French Empire. Napoleon Bonaparte used the Roman Golden Eagle as the symbol of his new French empire.
• Ghana. Two eagles are part of the coat of arms of Ghana.
• Mexico. The bird on the Mexican coat of arms and flag is a Golden Eagle.
• Moldova. An eagle is part of the coat of arms and flag of Moldova.
• Nigeria, The eagle is part of the Coat of Arms of Nigeria and the Seal of the President of Nigeria.
• The Philippines. The endangered Philippine Eagle is the national bird of the Philippines.
• Poland. A white eagle on a red field is the coat of arms of Poland.
• Romania. The eagle is also part of the coat of arms of Romania
• Rome. The Romans used it on the standards of their armies. From this derives:
  • The late Byzantine Empire) chose a two-headed golden eagle as its symbol. It is popularly that one head symbolised ancient Rome, and the other head symbolised "new Rome" at Constantinople. From this derives:
    • Albania. The two-headed eagle is the emblem of "Shqipëria" or Land of the Eagles, which is known in English as Albania (see The Tale of the Eagle for the legendary origin of the name)
    • Russian Empire. After the fall of Constantinople, the Russian Empire took the two-headed eagle as its own symbol.
  • Charlemagne and Holy Roman Empire. After his crowning as the new Roman Emperor, Charlemagne adopted the ancient Roman eagle as his own symbol. The Holy Roman Empire born of his kingdom took the eagle, but the Habsburgs replaced the golden eagle by an imperial eagle. From this derives:
    • Austria. The Austrian Empire had a two-headed eagle as its symbol. After the abolition of Austria-Hungary, Austria took as its symbol a one-headed eagle in the modern coat of arms of Austria.
    • Germany and Prussia. Prussia, and later Germany have used a black eagle as their national symbol.
    • Spain. The "Catholic Kings", Isabella and Ferdinand, used the Golden Eagle as a part of the royal shield. The eagle was on the Spanish shield until 1978.
• Serbia/Montenegro. The Two-headed eagle is the emblem of Serbia, Montenegro, and Serbia and Montenegro.
• The Seljuk Turks and Ottoman Turks used a double-headed eagle as coats-of-arms.
• USA. The United States has adopted the North American Bald Eagle as its national emblem. Although the Golden Eagle is found in North America, U.S. references to an unspecified "eagle" are often to the Bald Eagle, especially in an emblematic context. However, a few U.S. coins have shown the Golden Eagle (recognizable because the feathering on its legs extends to the base of the toes);^{[3] [4]} this error is the cause of the expression "illegal eagle".^{[citation needed]}

Eagles as religious objects

In Jewish tradition the eagle is a symbol of greatness, and leaders such as the medieval sage Maimonides and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, have been referred to by their peers and students as "The Great Eagle". The Torah compares God Himself to an eagle in Deuteronomy, 32.11-12. "As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its fledglings, it spreads its wings, taking them and carrying them on its pinions. [So] the Lord guided them [the Israelites] alone, and there was no alien deity with Him."

Eagle lecterns are very common in Christian churches and cathedrals. The eagle is the symbol used to depict John the Apostle, whose writing most clearly witnesses the light and divinity of Christ. In art, John, as the presumed author of the Gospel, is often depicted with an eagle, which symbolizes the height he rose in the first chapter of his gospel. See Names of John.

The eagle is a sacred bird in some cultures and the feathers of the eagle are central to many religious and spiritual customs, especially amongst Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, as well as among many of the peoples of Meso-America. Some Native American peoples revere eagles as sacred religious objects and the feathers and parts of Bald and Golden Eagles are often compared to the Bible and crucifix. Eagle feathers are often used in various ceremonies and are used to honor noteworthy achievements and qualities such as exceptional leadership and bravery. In the cultures of the Northwest Coast, Eagle is also a supernatural being and also the ancestor and reatures in the heraldic crests of important clans known as totem poles.

Despite modern and historic Native American practices of giving eagle feathers to non-indigenous people and also members of other tribes who have been deemed worthy, current United States eagle feather law stipulates that only individuals of certifiable Native American ancestry enrolled in a federally recognized tribe are legally authorized to obtain eagle feathers for religious or spiritual use. In Canada, poaching of eagle feathers for the booming U.S. market has sometimes resulted in the arrests of First Nations person for the crime.^{[citation needed]}

Eagles as organizational symbols

• Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force uses the Wedge-tailed Eagle on its coat of arms. There is also an Australian Rules Football club called the West Coast Eagles.
• Greece. The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the Greek sport clubs AEK (black eagle on yellow background) and PAOK (black eagle on white background). It is a symbol of the clubs' origins, since both clubs were founded by Greeks who fled to Greece from Constantinople in 1922-23.
• Italy. The Roman eagle is the symbol of the Roman sports club S.S. Lazio.
• Nigeria. The Nigeria Football Association, the nation's football (soccer) governing body, has a green eagle perched on a football as its organisational symbol and logo. The Nigerian national football team is known as the 'Super Eagles', the under-20 youth team as the 'Flying Eagles', and the under-17 national side as the 'Golden Eaglets'. They all have an eagle as their symbol.
• Portugal. Eagle is the symbol of the Portuguese football team Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
• Turkey. Black Eagles is used for the Turkish sports club Beşiktaş J.K..
• USA. Eagles are a common motif for American companies and organizations seeking association with a national identity. A few examples are the United States Postal Service, the Constitution Party, and the name of the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. Among the sports teams whose mascot is an eagle, the only one in a major league of a major sport (by U.S. standards) is the Philadelphia Eagles (American football).
• China. Flying eagle is the logo of Shatin Pui Ying College in Hong Kong. In this school, an award is called Flying Eagle Award with the eagle badges as prizes.

Crested Serpent Eagle

The Crested Serpent Eagle, Spilornis cheela is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae.

The Crested Serpent Eagle can be found in a large geographical region from South Asia, including India and Sri Lanka, to Southeast Asia, extending to southern China and Indonesia. This forest bird nests in treetops near fresh water. Its nests are constructed with sticks and contain not more than a single egg at a time.

The Crested Serpent Eagle is a medium large raptor at about 55-75cm in length. Adults have dark brown upperparts and head, and have a hooded appearance at rest. The underparts and underwing coverts are pale brown. In soaring flight, the broad wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars. When perched, they appear large headed and owl-like due to the shape of the face and positioning of the eyes.

The call is a distinctive Kluee-wip-wip with the first note being high and rising. They call a lot in the late mornings from perches or as they rise on the thermals in the mornings.

Sexes are visually similar, but young birds have a whitish head, underparts and underwing, the latter showing darker barring.

The Crested Serpent Eagle, as its English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist reptile eater which hunts over woodland for snakes and lizards.

Black-chested Snake-eagle

The Black-chested Snake-eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) is a large African bird of prey of the Accipitridae family. It resembles other Snake-eagles and was once believed to be conspecific with the Short-toed Eagle and Beaudouin's Snake-eagle.

The main identification character of this bird is its dark brown head and chest to which it owes its name. In flight the dark head contrasts with the underparts and underwings, which are white apart from dark barring on the flight feathers and tail. The upperparts are dark brown, and the eye is yellow.

The female is similar to, but larger than the male, and the juvenile is rufous.

The call is a whistled kwo kwo kwo kweeoo.

This species can be found throughout southern Africa from Ethiopia and Sudan in the north, to South Africa in the south and and Angola in the south west.

It inhabits different habitats, providing it can find open terrain to hunt on, trees to perch and nest in, and sufficient food supply. This includes semi-arid or even desert areas.

As its name indicates, this bird feeds mostly on snakes, but will also prey on lizards, small mammals and frogs.

The female will lay only one egg per clutch, which is incubated for 50 days. The chick leaves the nest after 3 months.

Due to its wide distribution this species is not endangered.

Short-toed Eagle

The Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.

This is an Old World species spread throughout the Mediterranean basin and into Russia and the Middle East, and into parts of Asia (Pakistan, India and some Indonesian islands.

Those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator, leaving in September/October and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident. In Europe it is most numerous in Spain where it is fairly common but elsewhere it is rare in many parts of its range.

A bird on the Isles of Scilly, Great Britain, in October 1999 was the first confirmed record for that country.

The Short-toed Eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting.

Adults are 63-68 cm long with an 185-195 cm wingspan and weigh 1.7-1.9 kg. They can be recognised in the field by their predominantly white underside, the upperparts being greyish brown. The chin, throat and upper breast are a pale, earthy brown. The tail has 3 or 4 bars. Additional indications are an owl-like rounded head, brightly yellow eyes and lightly barred under wing.

The Short-toed Eagle is an accomplished flyer and spends more time on the wing than do most members of its genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on updrafts, and it does much of its hunting from this position at heights of up to 500 meters. When quartering open country it frequently hovers like a Kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings.

Its prey is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Occasionally small mammals to the size of a rabbit; rarely birds and large insects.

This eagle is generally very silent. On occasions it emits a variety of musical whistling notes. When breeding it lays only one egg, but can live up to 17 years.

The Short-toed Eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land-use. It needs protection. In the middle and far eastern part of its range this species is not yet threatened.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle

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.

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.

Madagascar Fish Eagle

The Madagascar Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides) or - to distinguish it from the Ichthyophaga true fish eagles, Madagascar Sea-eagle - is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The range of this eagle is within the Madagascar dry deciduous forests.

As the species name alludes, its closest relative is almost certainly the African Fish-eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer. Together, they form a distinct lineage of sea-eagles, which separated soon after the genus' divergence; they retain the ancestral dark beak, talon, and eye colors, but as opposed to other Haliaeetus species, their tails are always at least partially white even in juveniles. Like in other sea-eagle species pairs, one species (the Madagascar Fish-eagle in this case) has a tan head, while the other has a white one.

This species is endemic to Madagascar, where it survives in low numbers along the west coast. Surveys between 1991 and 1995 recorded at least 222 adults from 105 sites, with an estimated 99 breeding pairs. The main threats to its breeding habitat are deforestation, soil erosion and the development of wetland areas for rice-paddies. It is also in direct competition with humans for fish stocks.

White-bellied Sea Eagle

The White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) and also known as the White-bellied Fish-eagle or White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.

It is resident from India through southeast Asia to Australia on coasts and major waterways. This large eagle is very distinctive. The adult has white head, breast underwing coverts and tail. The upperparts are grey and the black underwing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetus species.

Its closest relative is the little-known Sanford's Fish-eagle of the Solomon Islands. These form a species pair, and as usual in sea eagle species pairs, as opposed to the dark-headed Sanford's, the White-bellied Sea-eagle has a white head. Talons, bill, and eyes are dark as in all Gondwanan sea eagles. This species pair has at every age at least some dark colouration in its tail, though this may not always be clearly visible in this species. Although they differ much in appearance and ecology, their ancestors diverged less than one million years ago

Description

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle is the second largest bird of prey found in Australia. The largest is the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax, which stands up to 1m. The Wedge-tailed Eagle is mostly brown, with a wedge-shaped tail.

The Sea Eagle is white on the head, rump and underparts and dark grey on the back and wings. In flight the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when the bird is viewed from below. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The legs and feet are cream-white, with long black talons (claws). The sexes are similar. Males (around 75cm in height) are slightly smaller than females (up to 85cm). The wingspan is about 2m.

Young Sea-Eagles are brown as juveniles then gradually come to resemble adults, acquiring the complete adult plumage by their fourth year.

Distribution and habitat

White-bellied Sea-Eagles are a common sight in coastal and near coastal areas of Australia. Birds form permanent pairs that inhabit territories throughout the year. Their loud "goose-like" honking call is a familiar sound, particularly during the breeding season. Birds are normally seen, perched high in a tree, or soaring over waterways and adjacent land.

In addition to Australia, the species is found in New Guinea, Indonesia, China, south-east Asia and India.

Food and feeding

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle feeds mainly off aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but it takes birds and mammals as well. It is a skilled hunter, and will attack prey up to the size of a swan. Sea-Eagles also feed on carrion such as sheep and fish along the waterline. They harass smaller birds, forcing them to drop any food that they are carrying. Sea-Eagles feed alone, in pairs or in family groups.