Grey-headed Fishing Eagle at Kaziranga, in Assam. The Grey-headed Fish Eagle or Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus is a bird of prey and belongs to the eagle family Accipitridae. Grey-headed Fish Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia. It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays two to four eggs. Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a largish stocky raptor measuring about 70--75 cm in length. Adults have dark brown wings and back, a grey head and reddish brown breast. The lower belly, thighs and tail are white, the latter having a black terminal band.

Sexes are similar, but young birds have a pale buff head, under parts and under wing, all with darker streaking. Grey-headed Fish Eagle, as it's English and scientific names suggest, is a specialist fish eater which hunts over lakes, lagoons and large rivers. Adult male has dark brownish-grey wings and upperparts. Tail is white with broad black terminal band. Under parts are brownish-grey breast and Lower belly, thighs and under tail coverts are white. Under tail feathers are white with black terminal band. Under wing is dark grey-brown. The small head is greyish. The hooked bill is grey, darker at tip. Eyes are pale yellow. Legs and feet are grey-brown with black claws.

Grey-headed Fish Eagle is vocal during the courtship displays, and mostly silent outside breeding season. Calls are heard in the morning and in the evening. They are similar to a cross between a laugh and a scream. Grey-headed Fish Eagle frequents lowland forests close to fresh waters, streams, large ponds, rivers and marshes. This eagle may be found along sea coasts and near estuaries. It may be seen locally up to 1500 metres of elevation. It feeds almost exclusively on fish, caught with the talons while flying over the water surface. It watches for prey from a perch close to the water. Grey-headed Fish Eagle feeds mainly on fish, dead or alive, but it also catches small birds and mammals. Grey-headed Fish Eagle also takes dead fish, small birds and mammals. This species usually takes fish near the water surface and it does not submerge its body, only legs and feet. Then, the fish or other prey is eaten on a branch and torn to pieces with the hooked bill.

The Grey-headed Fish Eagle hunts mainly in open waters. The large wings allow it to soar and glide easily, and to rise with the prey. It does not dive into the water as other species. This species usually reuses the same nest year after year. The huge nest is made with sticks, and situated in tall tree, between 10 and 30 metres above the ground. Grey-headed Fish Eagle may be relatively common in some regions of the range, but this species is threatened by habitat loss, over-fishing, siltation, pollution and even persecution. Grey-headed Fish Eagle is classified as Near Threatened.

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. A World Heritage Site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world's Great One-horned Rhinoceroses. Kaziranga boasts the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International for conservation of avifaunal species. Compared to other protected areas in India, Kaziranga has achieved notable success in wildlife conservation. Located on the edge of the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot, the park combines high species diversity and visibility.

Kaziranga is a vast expanse of tall elephant grass, marshland, and dense tropical moist broadleaf forests, crisscrossed by four major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, and the park includes numerous small bodies of water. Kaziranga has been the theme of several books, songs, and documentaries. The park celebrated its centennial in 2005 after its establishment in 1905 as a reserve forest.

Source: Wikipedia & http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/

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