White-tailed Sea-Eagle

Haliaeetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

		adult juvenile
2015-11-20 Shushensky rayon. Krasnoyarsky Kray. 2015-12-24 Shushensky rayon. Krasnoyarsky Kray.	© Sergey Chumakov © Sergey Chumakov

Biology

White-tailed Eagle is rare breeding migrant. Inhabits the riparian woods, banks of forest rivers and lakes, the small woods of steppe zone near the fish-abundant lakes with reed thickets. Appears in March, latest birds flying in northern direction were observed in early April. Breeds in separate pairs at least 1-2 km apart. Nest is built in tree (pine, larch, willow) at 3-12 m above the ground; nest is constructed from the thick twigs and is lined with dry grass, and often with fresh twigs with leaves. Each pair has 2-3 breeding nests which are rotated every year. Every year birds repaired the nest so the old nests become a quite large. Laying of 1-3 eggs is in March-April, both parents incubate but female mostly. Chicks hatch in April or May. Both parents feed nestlings which fledge in early June – July. Autumn migrations is in September – October, when the Sea-Eagles observed singly or in small groups in food abundant places (lakes with ducks and other birds). At Lake Baikal birds stay to ice coverage, few ones winter in the source of Angara River, feeding on waterfowl and carcasses of died mammals. Some birds winter in other areas of southern Siberia.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.