These are an ancient lineage of Sea Eagles, and as such, have dark talons, beaks, and eyes Both species have at least partially white tails even as juveniles. Like all Sea Eagle species pairs, this one consists of a white-headed species (the African Fish Eagle) and a tan-headed one. Its closest relative appears to be the critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle (H. The African Fish Eagle is a species placed in the genus Haliaeetus (Sea Eagles). Is one of those MUST visit pages if you're in to bird watching. The African Fish Eagle is absent from arid areas with little surface water. This is a generalist species, requiring only open water with sufficient prey and a good perch, as evidenced by the number of habitat types in which this species may be found, including grassland, swamps, marshes, tropical rainforest, fynbos, and even desert-bordering coastlines, such as that of Namibia.
The African Fish Eagle is thought to occur in substantial numbers around the locations of Lake Victoria and other large lakes in central Africa, particularly the Rift Valley lakes. Several examples of places where they may be resident include the Orange River in South Africa and Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and Lake Malawi bordering Malawi, Tanzania, and Mozambique. African Fish Eagles are indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, ranging over most of continental Africa south of the Sahara Desert. This species is still quite common near freshwater lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, although they can sometimes be found near the coast at the mouths of rivers or lagoons. This species may resemble the bald eagle in appearance though related, each species occurs on different continents, with the bald eagle being resident in North America. Examples of names include: visarend in Afrikaans, nkwazi in Chewa, aigle pĂȘcheur in French, hungwe in Shona, and inkwazi in isiZulu. As a result of its large range, it is known in many languages. It is the national bird of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Sudan. The African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), or to distinguish it from the true fish eagles (Ichthyophaga), the African Sea Eagle, is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur.