African Fish Eagle (Raptor)

Southern Kruger, South Africa

African fish eagles  inhabit fresh water lakes and rivers in sub-saharan Africa, but are also found along the West coast in Namibia.

Feeding

They feed mainly on fish, swooping down from a tree and catching them in its talons which have specially adapted "spiracles" that enable it to grip slippery prey. As well as fish, it will prey on water birds including ducks and flamingoes, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Breeding

They mate for life and pairs will often use two or three nests in large trees which they use repeatedly, resulting in structures made of sticks as much as two metres across and over a metre deep. Breeding is always when water levels are low during the dry season. Clutches may have a maximum of three white, red speckled eggs with both males and females sharing incubation and chick rearing. Even after fledging, parents look after their chicks for a further three months. Adults over a year old have a life expectancy of between 12 and 24 years.

Wildfile Specials

• The fish eagle can take prey much bigger than itself by dragging them across the surface of the water until it reaches the shore even dropping into the water and paddling with its wings.
• The African fish eagle is also a "kleptoparasite" stealing the prey of other bird species.
• It is the national bird of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia and South Sudan.