Pygargue de Madagascar

Identification

The Madagascar fish eagle is a medium-sized sea eagle, 60–66 cm (23.5–26 in) long and with a wingspan of 165–180 cm (65–71 in). The body and wings are dark brown, with a pale brown head and a white tail; the bill is blackish with a paler base, and the legs are pale grey.[page needed] Males weigh 2.2–2.6 kg (4.9–5.7 lb), while the slightly larger females weigh 2.8–3.5 kg (6.2–7.7 lb).<p>Its closest relative is the African fish eagle, Icthyophaga vocifer. Together, they form a distinct species pair lineage of sea-eagles, which separated soon after the divergence of the genus; they retain the ancestral dark beak, talon, and eye, but unlike Haliaeetus species, they always have at least partially white tails, even while juvenile. As in other sea-eagle species pairs, one species (the Madagascan fish eagle in this case) has a tan head, while the other has a white one.[page needed]

Taxonomie

Nom scientifique

Icthyophaga vociferoides

Autorité

(des Murs, 1845)

Ordre

Accipitriformes

Famille

Accipitridés

Genre

Icthyophaga

Répartition et habitat

This species is endemic to Madagascar, where it survives in low numbers along the northwest coast north of Morondava. The range of this eagle is within the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. The principal locus of population according to the United Nations Environmental Programme is in the Analova region; 20 to 25 breeding pairs were there as of the 1980s. A more recent survey by Garbutt and Hogan report a smaller concentration of at least three breeding pairs in the Anjajavy Forest along the Indian Ocean, where several streams discharge north of Anjajavy Village.

Migration

Resident species

Conservation

Tendance de la population

declining