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White-bellied Sea-Eagle< Alternate name(s): "White-breasted Sea-Eagle"; misnomer: "Eagle-hawk*"  Aboriginal name(s): "djilyon", "ngoolar" (WA); "konkon"Size: 70-80 cm (male), 80-90 cm (female); wing span 1.8-2.2 m Weight: 1.8-3 kg (male), 2.5-4.5 kg (female) |
Description
Classification
Distribution
Sightings
Photos
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
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 Click here for a physical description
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
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Click here for sighting information
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Photos |
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here 
.
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles perched in a dead tree; when
seen individually, it would not be possible to tell the sexes
apart - but when seen together, one can see that the male
(here on the right) is smaller than the female
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
Dorsal view of a male White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
"Ohhhh, sh**! My brolly - quick!"
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
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FEMALE |
Lateral view of a female White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
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PAIR |
Pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles perched in a dead tree; the
female, on the left, is visibly taller and more massive than
the partner (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
Sex unknown |
Frontal view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lady Musgrave Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, September 2017]
Frontal view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lady Musgrave Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, September 2017]
Near-frontal view of an adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of E.
Scott)
[Wiangaree Lagoon, Wiangaree, NSW, February 2017]
Close-up lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lady Musgrave Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, September 2017]
Lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, July 2018]
Close-up lateral/ventral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Kinrara Expeditions, QLD, March 2019]
Frontal/ventral view of a soaring White-bellied Sea-Eagle
[Sawtell Lookout, Sawtell, NSW, January 2011]
Frontal/ventral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle that had
taken up its position in an onshore updraft, patrolling the
coastline
[Sawtell Lookout, Sawtell, NSW, January 2011]
Near-lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle studying the photographer
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle performing some running repairs to its
plumage
[Sawtell Lookout, Sawtell, NSW, January 2011]
In this photo one can clearly see the translucent nature of the
tail feathers of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lake Argyle, near Kununurra, WA, April 2018]
Lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle just after take-off
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Knuckey Lagoon, NT, October 2019]
Lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight, wings up
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Mandorah, NT, June 2018]
Lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight, wings down
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Mandorah, NT, June 2018]
Lateral view of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]
Action shot of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle (photo courtesy
of C. Kellenberg)
[Point Plomer, Limeburners Creek NR, NSW, 2009]
Here a White-bellied Sea-Eagle with a prominent alula (feathers looking
like a winglet on the first joint) on one of its wings
[Munmorah SCA,
NSW, June 2011]
Adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle being harassed by a pair of
Eastern Ospreys
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]
Adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle being harassed by an
Eastern Osprey
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle in the "company" of two model air planes
and another, unidentified raptor
[Hunter Wetlands NP,
NSW, July 2013]
Comparison between a White-bellied Sea-Eagle and a
Wedge-tailed Eagle
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, October 2018]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Near-lateral/ventral view of an immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]
Distant lateral view of a second-year immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle
sitting on a branch of a dead tree
[Old Quipolly Dam, Quirindi, NSW, April 2012]
Frontal/ventral view of a second-year immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle
in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Atkinson Dam, QLD, March 2019]
Near-frontal/ventral view of a second-year immature White-bellied
Sea-Eagle in flight
[Old Quipolly Dam, Quirindi, NSW, April 2012]
Lateral/ventral view of a second-year immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle
in flight (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Sewerage Ponds, Darwin, NT, July 2020]
Lateral/ventral view of a second-year immature White-bellied Sea-Eagle
in flight
[Wooroolin Wetlands, Wooroolin, QLD, June 2017]
Second-year White-bellied Sea-Eagle going into a nose dive
[Old Bar, NSW, July 2013]
Near-lateral view of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
Near-lateral/ventral view of an adult White-bellied Sea-Eagle,
right, with a juvenile
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fraser Island, QLD, September 2018]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Lateral view of a first-year White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight
[NSW Central Coast, July 2013]
Near-dorsal/ventral view of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
shortly after take-off
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Dorsal view of a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle
shortly after take-off
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Kakadu NP,
NT, July 2020]
Juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight
seen from underneath
[Bundjalung NP,
NSW, July 2010]
The same juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle as above
[Bundjalung NP,
NSW, July 2010]
Juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle in flight; it left behind its
catch of the day
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2011]
Here the same juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle as above
in a different phase of its wingbeat
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2011]
Two juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagles having an argument about
the ownership of a fish and in the process attracting the
attention of an Australian Magpie
(photo courteys of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Stott's Island rainforest, Tweed River, NSW, September 2016]
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Breeding information |
| Breeding season: May - Sep | Eggs: 1 - 2 | Incubation period: 38 - 42 days | Fledging age: 70 - 80 days |
Although White-bellied Sea-Eagles are found all around the coastline of Australia, wherever they breed, they do it mainly in the tropical dry season, which corresponds to the southern winter/spring.
| Nest building: ? | Incubation: Female (male) | Dependent care: Male & female |
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Twitcher's tip |
Note that, by the time they fledge (i.e., leave their nest), the young of all species of raptors - apart from the tail and wing feathers (which are still growing) - are already full adult-size.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
| Type: Basket | Material: Sticks | Height above ground: 10 - 50 m |
Nests are usually high up and within sight of water. On cliff edges nests can be very high above the water's surface. Nests are often re-used for several years, during which they are enlarged and can become huge (up to 2 m wide and deep) and massive.
Overview of a massive White-bellied Sea-Eagle aery in a living
eucalypt
(photo courtesy of E.
Scott)
[Near Kyogle, NSW, June 2017]
Closer view of a pair of White-bellied Sea-Eagles on their aery
(photo courtesy of E.
Scott)
[Near Kyogle, NSW, June 2017]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle on its aery with two near-fledging
age young (photo courtesy of E.
Scott)
[Near Kyogle, NSW, October 2017]
Overview of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest in a dead
eucalypt
[Gum Swamp, Forbes, NSW, December 2016]
Closer view of the same White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest in a dead
eucalypt
[Gum Swamp, Forbes, NSW, December 2016]
The owner of the White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest shown above
[Gum Swamp, Forbes, NSW, December 2016]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle on its nest (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)
[Kakadu NP NT,
June 2011]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest in an inland habitat (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Gwydir Wetlands, near Moree, NSW, November 2012]
This White-bellied Sea-Eagle nest, which was found far inland, is not
used in years of drought, when there is no potential prey in the
nearby Narran Lake
[Narran Lake NR,
near Walgett, NSW, July 2014]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle in a tree on an island
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Lady Musgrave Island, near Agnes Water, QLD, September 2017]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
| Size: 73 x 55 mm | Colour: Creamy white | Shape: Oval |
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive | Elementary unit: Solitary/pair |
White-bellied Sea-Eagle in display flight near its nest; this is
one of a pair whose calls were recorded on 1 July 2017
[New Quipolly Dam, near Quirindi, NSW, July 2017]
Like other raptors, White-bellied Sea-Eagles don't take kindly to
intruders into their territories; here one is seen hustling a
Wedge-tailed Eagle
[Marcquarie Marshes
NR, near Quambone, NSW, April 2017]
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Food, Diet |
| Adults: Fish, small animals | Dependents: As adults | Water intake: None |
All raptors are carnivores. White-bellied Sea-Eagles prey mostly on fish, but will also take animals as large as (young) kangaroos and birds such as cockatoos. We have received reports of White-bellied Sea-Eagles preying on tortoises in inland waters and leaving behind a mess of leftovers under their favourite roosts.
During the first few weeks, raptors feed their chicks with pieces of meat. Later on in their development, the chicks learn to tear apart their parents' prey.
This White-bellied Sea-Eagle has caught a fair-size sea snake
(photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Karumba, QLD, September 2019]
White-bellied Sea-Eagle carrying its catch to a spot on land
[Limeburners Creek
NP, NSW, October 2013]
Here a juvenile White-bellied Sea-Eagle's victim
[Goran Lake, NSW, April 2011]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement 
are welcome.
The pair whose calls are linked below were observed chasing away an intruder/competitor near their nest.
| wbseagl_20170701.m4a | (NW NSW) | Male/female duet at nest | © MD | |
| wbseagl_20170701_2.m4a | (NW NSW) | Male/female duet at nest | © MD |
More White-bellied Sea-Eagle sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.