White-tailed eagle

White-tailed eagle
At Raftsund, Lofoten/Norway.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Species:
H. albicilla
Binomial name
Haliaeetus albicilla
(Linnaeus, 1758)
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

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

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]

References

  1. ↑ "Haliaeetus albicilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. IUCN: e.T22695137A93491570. 2016. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695137A93491570.en. S2CID 243592075. Retrieved 2 June 2018. {cite journal}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  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.