White-bellied Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
The Philippine white-bellied sea-eagle is a fairly common sight when you glance in the skies on a sunny day in any part of Palawan. But it is quite difficult to make them out if seen from a distance as it could be mistaken for other birds of prey.
Food Habits
As the name connotes, the white-bellied sea-eagle feeds mainly on fish but due to its carnivorous nature, this bird may also feed on other birds, reptiles such as lizards and snakes, small mammals, crabs and even carrion. That means that the eagle will eat anything it finds with its sharp eyes demonstrating an opportunistic behavior.
When it spots its prey on the water surface, it will just swoop down in an instant without even getting itself wet. Its sharp talons allow this bird to clamp around its prey and find a place to feast on its meal using its sharp beak.
Breeding
The white-bellied sea-eagle nests just like the other birds using sticks or dead material to construct it. The nests are located in open places, usually the fork of trees, where the mating pair use to perch and hunt for its prey.
Normally, two eggs are laid by the female but two eggs in a clutch seldom develop into full-blown offspring at which time they are ready to leave the nest or fledging. The eggs are incubated for a month and a half.
When hatched, the chick is initially fed by the female but later the male aids in rearing up the fast growing offspring. Once the young sea-eagle is able to fly, it will stay within its parents territory for about six months or until the next breeding season.
Distribution and Population Status
Scientists believe that the white-bellied sea-eagle is not even approaching the threshold of vulnerability primarily because it is well distributed in many countries. They are found not only in the province of Palawan but well distributed in the Asia-Pacific regions ranging from Hong Kong to Australia. It can survive in other countries if threatened in one. For this reason, the white-bellied sea-eagle is treated with least concern.
There are threats, however, to the viability of its population because I saw someone post pictures of the bird in the internet for sale at PhP28,000 (ca. $650). This will stimulate trade of this bird although the government prohibits wildlife trade in the Philippines unless those animals are products of a breeding farm and the species has been listed in Appendix 3 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES.
I took a picture of the white-bellied sea-eagle featured above at the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. Allegedly, it broke its wings and brought to the facility for recovery. Now, it is one of the attractions in the center next to the more interactive Palawan bear cat that willingly climbs on anxious tourists' back for a souvenir shot.
Reference
BirdLife International 2012. Haliaeetus leucogaster. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1.
Sea-eaglecam.org, n.d. Sea-eagles - the food they eat. Retrieved on August 7, 2013 from https://www.sea-eaglecam.org/food.html
Wikipedia on White-bellied sea-eagle.