White-bellied sea eagle comes cruising to the Cauvery

Rare sighting of white-bellied sea eagle in Tiruchi, possibly due to strong winds & rainy weather.

In an unusual sighting, the white-bellied sea eagle (Icthyophaga leucogaster), an enormous raptor common to coastal habitats, was spotted in Mukkombu, Tiruchi this week, having possibly flown off course due to the strong winds and rainy weather, according to local birdwatchers.

“My friend and I had gone birding to Mukkombu on Sunday, when we saw the bird flying in circles. We followed it, and photographed it in flight. When it tried to alight on a tree, some crows gathered around and chased it away. Maybe it was transiting through the region, looking for a short break on the banks of the Cauvery,” C. Malolan, a retired banker and resident of Srirangam, told The Hindu.

Named as a bird on the ‘least-concern’ list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the white-bellied sea eagle has a body length of 75-85 cm (29.5-33 in) and a wingspan of 178–218 cm (70-85.8 in).

As its name implies, the bird of prey is rarely seen away from the seashore, and as a result, has a diet of aquatic species like fish and sea snakes. It is also known to steal or pirate food from other raptors, and occasionally feed on carrions.

Recent studies carried out in Kerala have showed that the depletion of tall trees near the shoreline where these majestic birds roost could have caused a major decline in their population in that State. Ficus and casuarina trees facing the sea are said to be preferred nesting sites of these birds.

“I had earlier spotted this bird at Haleyangadi near Mangaluru last year. I was a bit doubtful about its identity when we saw it in Mukkombu, as it is quite far from the coast. However, birdwatchers in Tiruchi later confirmed that it was the white-bellied sea eagle, and said that it had not been seen here in the past 30 years,” said Mr. Malolan.

The raptor is found in India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, southern China, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, and Tasmania, among other countries.