Features& Description
The White-tailed Eagle, Latin for “Haliaeetus albicilla”, is a very large bird of prey, with long, broad wings. With a wingspan of up to 2.40 meters, it is instantly recognizable by its size and stance.
Adults have a yellowish-brown head, a distinctive yellow bill and a white tail, sometimes spotted with brown at the tip.
Juveniles have gray and black beaks and dark heads, the same dark-brown color as the rest of their plumage. The tail is longer than that of the adult, but marked by alternating black and white feathers.
From the front, the silhouette is fairly flat, but with its “rowed” flight and long series of calms, the eagle’s trajectory is typically modified by sudden, slight ascents and descents.
Habitat(Biotope)
The White-tailed Eagle is a bird that usually lives near coasts and large lakes, where its food consists mainly of fish and waterfowl, carrion and fish waste. It is found mainly in Norway, where it is locally common, and in Poland during migration, with increasingly frequent winter incursions into France.
Behavior& habits
The White-tailed Eagle is a large predator. Its presence is often revealed by the massive flight of small waterfowl such as Green-winged Teal or Coots, which it does not hesitate to attack to feed.
Other birds, such as carrion crows, common terns and black-headed gulls, prefer to harass the bird to chase it out of their area.
It is a patient hunter that will pursue its prey until it is exhausted, falling on it and seizing it in its powerful talons. It won’t hesitate to drag its prey to the shore if it can’t fly away with it.
Reproductionand immature
The White-tailed Eagle does not reach sexual maturity until it is 5 years old. Pairs parade in great soaring flights over 200m high.
The large nest is built in the treetop and is often reused when the pair is not disturbed.
A first case of nesting took place in 2019 at Lac du Der, and the only youngster stayed the whole winter with the parents on site.
The clutch comprises between 3 and 5 eggs, which take around 45 days to incubate.
The young fledge after 2 and a half months and learn to hunt by observing their parents.
Cryor Voice
The White-tailed Eagle is usually silent outside the nesting season. Its call, especially near the nest, is a series of high-pitched yelps somewhat reminiscent of the territorial call of the Black Woodpecker.
The male emits a higher-pitched “kli-kli-kli-kli…”. A deeper, rougher alarm “kleck” is sometimes repeated slowly.
White-tailed Eagle
White-tailed Eagle
White-tailed Eagle Yathin Krishnappa
