Madagascan Fish Eagle

“How the eagle does: —
Gathering up his might,
Quitting where he was,
Soars he in the height.”

— The Eagle, Timothy Otis Paine

Common Name: Madagascan Fish Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus vociferoides

Classification: Bird

Habitat: Near large bodies of water, mangrove forests

Size: 60 – 66 centimeters, wingspan of up to 1.8 meters

Weight: up to 2.6 kilograms (males), up to 3.5 kilograms (females)

Diet: Omnivore

Average lifespan: around 12 – 24 years

About Them

The Madagascan fish eagle, also known as the Madagascar sea eagle, is a large bird of prey endemic to Northwest Madagascar. It has a dark brown body and wings, and, unlike most sea eagles, a pale brown head. It has a white tail and a black bill.

The Madagascan fish eagle is an opportunistic predator that has been known to eat crabs, turtles, and even birds, although it primarily eats fish, hence the name. They are often seen in pairs. They are non-migratory raptors and always remain in their territories.

Status

The Madagascan fish eagle is critically endangered, with only around 40 breeding pairs left, making it one of the rarest bird species in the world. The Madagascan fish eagle is threatened by deforestation, overfishing, water pollution, as well as poaching, most often caused by superstition. Some local people believe that the foot of a Madagascan fish eagle can bring them healing abilities, so they cut off the eagles’ feet. Most eagles do not survive the injury and trauma caused by this practice.

Moreover, like some other species of raptors, only one chick survives out of each clutch. Sublicide is common in birds because the stronger chick usually out-competes the weaker one, causing it to die of starvation, driven out of a nest to fall to death, or even pecked to death. This process of siblicide only allows survival of a limited number of chicks. Still, very few of the survived chicks successfully overcome threats posed by human activity. This is boosting the population decline of the Madagascan Fish Eagle.

How We Can Help

Adopt an eagle from WWF
The Peregrine Fund is working towards protecting areas in Madagascar that are important territories of the Madagascan fish eagle. They started working in Western Madagascar and began a project in 1996 to protect one of the last remaining wetlands, which houses approximately 10% of the world’s population of Madagascan fish eagles.
The World Wildlife Fund is helping local fishermen and authorities in Madagascar to manage coastal resources, while still protecting the livelihoods of local people.
Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be a lot of organizations that support endangered eagles. If you find anything worth supporting, please contact us!

Bibliography

Madagascar Fish Eagle, The Peregrine Fund, (n.d), https://peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/eagles/madagascar-fish-eagle

Madagascan Fish Eagle, WIkipedia, (2020, December 25), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascan_fish_eagle

Madagascar Fish Eagle, EDGE of Existence, (n.d), http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/madagascar-fish-eagle/

Eagle Poems, Discover Poetry, (n.d),

https://discoverpoetry.com/poems/eagle-poems/

Madagascar, World Wildlife Fund, (n.d), https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/madagascar