White-tailed eagle

The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla[2]) — also called the sea eagle, erne, and white-tailed sea-eagle — is a large bird of prey.

White-tailed eagle
White tailed eagle raftsund square crop.jpg
At Raftsund, Lofoten/Norway.
Conservation status
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Species:
H. albicilla
Binomial name
Haliaeetus albicilla
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Haliaeetus albicilla distribution map.png
Range of H. albicilla.      Nesting range     Wintering range     Year-round range
Synonyms

Falco albicilla Linnaeus, 1758
Falco melanaetos Linnaeus, 1766
Falco ossifragus Linnaeus, 1766
Haliaeetus albicilla albicilla
Haliaeetus albicilla groenlandicus

It is in the family Accipitridae, which includes other raptors, such as hawks and kites. It is a close cousin of the bald eagle, but it lives in Eurasia.

Description

 
Adult, wild eagle from Svolvær, Norway showing its long, broad, fingered wings, heavy beak, and short wedge-shaped tail.
 
Haliaeetus albicilla.
 
Haliaeetus albicilla groenlandicus.

The white-tailed eagle is a very large bird. It measures 66–94 cm (26–37 in) in length with a 1.78–2.45 m (5.8–8.0 ft) wingspan. The wingspan averages about 7 feet. This is the largest of any eagle.[3][4]

White-tailed Eagle Media

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Haliaeetus albicilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T22695137A93491570. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695137A93491570.en. S2CID 243592075. Retrieved 2 June 2018.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. Etymology: Haliaeetus, New Latin for "sea-eagle". albicilla, "white-tailed", from Latin albi- "white" + cilla, "tail".
  3. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 2002. ISBN 978-0792268772.
  4. Ferguson-Lees, J.; Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.