Haliaeetinae
| Haliaeetinae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Aves |
| Sub-class | Neornithes |
| Infra-class | Neoaves |
| Order Information | |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Sub-order | Accipitres |
| Family Information | |
| Superfamily | Accipitroidea |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Sub-family | Haliaeetinae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Haliaeetus |
| Population statistics | |
Haliaeetinae is a subfamily of birds of prey within the family Accipitridae, consisting of one genus and ten species commonly called "sea eagles" due to their habitats being at or near large bodies of water.
Description
Sea eagles are large; the smallest of them, Sanford's sea eagle, is 28 to 35 inches in length with a wingspan of just over 6 feet[1]. In contrast, the largest species - and possibly the largest living eagle - Steller's sea eagle, is just over 3 feet long with a wingspan in excess of 8 feet[2]. Females are larger than males. The are generally dark brown in color, with white predominate in most species. Unlike many other eagle species, the legs are feathered only to the upper tarsus.
Almost all species of the genus show a close connection to larger bodies of water; of the species, with Sanford's sea eagle additionally hunting within forests. The large wing area, which enables the use of even low winds, is interpreted as an adaptation to the low thermals above open water. Depending on the habitat, the food consists primarily of fish and waterfowl, mammals and reptiles are rather infrequent prey by comparison, and all are known to consume carrion.
- Subfamily Haliaeetinae
- Genus Haliaeetus
- African fish eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer
- Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Gray-headed fish eagle, Haliaeetus ichthyaetus
- Lesser fish eagle, Haliaeetus humilis
- Madagascar fish eagle, Haliaeetus vociferoides
- Pallas's fish eagle, Haliaeetus leucoryphus
- Sanford's sea eagle, Haliaeetus sanfordi
- Steller's sea eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus
- White-bellied sea eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster
- White-tailed eagle, Haliaeetus albicilla
