Solomon Sea Eagle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Solomon Sea Eagle
Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : Hawk species (Accipitridae)
Genre : White-tailed eagle ( Haliaeetus )
Type : Solomon Sea Eagle
Scientific name
Haliaeetus sanfordi
Mayr , 1935

The Solomon Sea Eagle ( Haliaeetus sanfordi ) is a large eagle that is endemic to Bougainville and the Solomon Islands . The art epithet honors Leonard C. Sanford , a curator of the American Museum of Natural History who discovered the taxon during a South Sea expedition in the 1920s. In 1935 Ernst Mayr wrote the first scientific description.

features

The Solomon Sea Eagle reaches a size of 64 to 90 centimeters and a weight of 2.3 to 2.5 kilograms. The wingspan is 165 to 185 centimeters. The head and neck plumage is white-brown to light brown. On the underside it is colored from brown to reddish brown to dark brown. The upper side is dark brown to gray-black in color. The eyes are light brown.

habitat

Its habitat are coastal forests at an altitude of 1350 m above sea level .

Reproduction

The breeding season is from August to October. The clutch usually consists of two eggs.

food

The Solomon Sea Eagle is the only sea ​​eagle that hunts its prey in the rainforest. The diet consists of fruit bats and cuscus, as well as fish (including carcasses of large fish and sharks), mollusks, sea snakes, crabs and turtles.

Symbolic meaning

The Solomon Sea Eagle is often featured on Solomon Islands postage stamps. On Santa Isabel it is the chief symbol and in Cheke Holo (dialect of the locals on this island) it is called Gaghata .

literature

  • Ferguson-Lees, James & David A. Christie 2001: Raptors of the world . Helmet, london.

Web links