Birds
Madagascar Fish Eagle
Haliaeetus vociferoides · also called madagascar sea eagle
A loud call echoes over a quiet Madagascar lake as a fish eagle swoops low to snatch a meal from the water’s surface, one of the rarest birds of prey left on Earth, with only a small number of breeding pairs still clinging on.
Overview
The Madagascar fish eagle, Haliaeetus vociferoides, is a Critically Endangered raptor endemic to rivers, lakes, and coastal lagoons mainly along western Madagascar. Its extreme rarity, lifelong pair bonds, and loud, distinctive call make it one of the island’s most urgently threatened birds.
Among the rarest birds of prey alive
With only a small number of breeding pairs remaining anywhere in the world, the Madagascar fish eagle sits among the most critically endangered raptors on the planet, its entire population confined to a shrinking stretch of western Madagascar’s waterways.
Status
Critically Endangered, with a very small number of breeding pairs remaining, threatened by habitat loss and disturbance along the rivers, lakes, and coastal areas it depends on.
Madagascar Fish Eagle: common questions
How rare is the Madagascar fish eagle?
It is one of the rarest birds of prey in the world, with only a small number of breeding pairs remaining, concentrated along rivers, lakes, and coastal lagoons in western Madagascar.
How does the Madagascar fish eagle catch food?
It is a carnivore that hunts mainly fish, swooping down from a perch or low flight to snatch prey from the water's surface with its talons.
Does the Madagascar fish eagle mate for life?
Yes, it forms long-term pair bonds and typically returns to the same nesting site in a tall tree overlooking water year after year.
Why is the Madagascar fish eagle so endangered?
Habitat loss and disturbance along the rivers, lakes, and coastal areas it depends on have reduced the population to a very small number of remaining breeding pairs.