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White-tailed Eagle

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                          iWhite-tailed Eagle
   Adult in flight
   Adult in flight

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
                       Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Falconiformes
   Family:  Accipitridae
   Genus:   Haliaeetus
   Species: H. albicilla

                                Binomial name

   Haliaeetus albicilla
   (Linnaeus, 1758)
   Light Green: nesting areaBlue: wintering areaDark Green: all-year
   Light Green: nesting area
   Blue: wintering area
   Dark Green: all-year

   The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), also known as the Sea
   Eagle, Erne or White-tailed Sea Eagle is a very large bird of prey in
   the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks,
   kites and harriers.

Distribution

   This is a very large eagle which breeds in northern Europe and Asia. It
   was successfully re-introduced to the Isle of Rum, in the Small Isles
   archipelago in Scotland, in 1975 and now breeds throughout the Western
   Isles and Small Isles as well as the islands of Mull, Skye, Lewis,
   Canna and the mainland coast of Wester Ross. The White-tailed Eagle is
   still a rare breeder in Britain following its extinction and
   reintroduction.

   The largest population in Europe is found along the coast of Norway.

   On May 22, 2006 it was announced that pair of White-tailed Eagles was
   breeding in a nature reserve Oostvaardersplassen in the Netherlands.
   This is the first time the bird has bred in the Netherlands.

   White-tailed Eagles are mostly resident, only the most northerly birds
   move further south in winter.

Diet

   The Eagle's diet is varied, including fish, birds, carrion and
   sometimes rodents. They regularly pirate food from otters and other
   birds. During the breeding season they require 500-600g of food per day
   when actively rearing young. During the winter months they tend to be
   inactive most of the day and their intake falls to 200-300g per day.

Descripition

   The White-tailed Eagle is a huge bird, 76-92 cm long with a 200-250 cm
   wingspan. Females are significantly larger than the males. The
   White-tailed Eagle has broad "barn door" wings, a large head and thick
   "meat-cleaver" beak. The adult is mainly brown except for the paler
   head and neck, distinctive white tail and yellow bill and legs. In
   juvenile birds the tail and bill are darker, with the tail becoming
   white with a dark terminal band in sub-adults.

Breeding

   White-tailed Eagles are sexually mature at four or five years of age.
   They pair for life, though if one dies replacement can occur quickly. A
   bond is formed when a permanent home range is chosen. They have a
   characteristic aerial courtship display which culminates in the pair
   locking claws mid-air and whirling earthwards in series of spectacular
   cartwheels. White-tailed Eagles are much more vocal than golden eagles,
   particularly during the breeding season and especially the male when
   near the eyrie. Calls can sometimes take on the form of a duet between
   the pair.

   The nest of the White-tailed Eagle is a huge edifice of sticks in a
   tree or on a coastal cliff. Being faithful to their territories, once
   they breed, nests are often reused, sometimes for decades. In
   Scandinavia, trees have been known to collapse under the weight of
   enormous, long established nests.

   The territory of the White-tailed Eagle ranges between 30-70 km²,
   normally in sheltered coastal locations. Sometimes they are found
   in-land by lakes and along river systems. The territory of the
   White-tailed Eagles can overlap with the territory of the golden eagle,
   though competition between the two species is limited. Golden eagles
   prefer mountains and moorland, while the White-tailed Eagle prefers the
   coast and the sea.

   Mated pairs produce one to three eggs per year. The eggs are laid two
   to five days apart in March or April and are incubated for 38 days by
   both parents. Once hatched, chicks are quite tolerant of one another,
   although the first hatched is often larger and dominant at feeding
   times. The female does most of the brooding and direct feeding, with
   the male taking over now and then. Young are able to feed themselves
   from five-six weeks and they fledge at eleven-twelve weeks, remaining
   in the vicinity of the nest, dependent on their parents for a further
   six-ten weeks.

   Surplus chicks are sometimes removed from nests to use in
   reintroduction programs in areas where the species has died out.

   In such programs, the birds are raised in boxes on platforms in the
   tree canopy and fed in such a way that they cannot see the person
   supplying their food, until they are old enough to fly and thus find
   their own food.

Heraldry

   The White-tailed Eagle is believed to be the one shown in the Polish
   Coat of Arms.

Gallery

   Adult (bottom) being mobbed by a Red Kite

   A juvenile (right) being mobbed by a pair of Buzzards over the Isle of
   Canna

   Captive bird, adult
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_Eagle"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
