HALIASTUR LEUCOSTERNUS, Gould.
W h i t e - b r e a s t e d S e a - E a g ’l e .
White-breasted Rufous Eagle, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 218.
Haliaetus lecosternus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 138; andinSyn. Birds of Australia, P art III.
Girrenera, Aborigines of New South "Wales.
Me-ne-u-roo, Aborigines of the Cobourg Peninsula.
In size and in the general markings o f its plumage, this beautiful species is more closely allied to the Falco
Ponticerianus o f Latham, than to any o th e r; but the total absence o f the coloured stripe down the centre of
the white feathers which clothe the head, neck and breast o f the Australian bird, at once distinguishes it
from its Indian ally.
The White-breasted Sea Eagle is very common on the northern and eastern portions of Australia, where
it takes up its abode in the most secluded and retired parts o f bays and inlets o f the sea. Upon one occasion
only did I meet with it within the colony o f New South Wales, but I have several times received specimens
from Moreton Bay; the individual alluded to above was observed soaring over the brushes o f the
Lower Hunter. The chief food of this species is fish, which it captures either by plunging down or by dexterously
throwing out its foot while flying close to the surface of-the w ater; such fish as swim near the
surface being o f course the only ones that become a prey to i t : sometimes the captured fish is borne off to
the bird’s favourite perch, which is generally a branch overhanging the water, while a t others, particularly if
the bird be disturbed, it is borne aloft in circles over the head of the intruder and devoured while the bird
is on the wing, with apparent ease. Its flight is slow and heavy near the ground, but a t a considerable elevation
it is easy and buoyant.
“ This species,” says Mr. Gilbert in his notes from P o rt Essington, “ is pretty generally spread throughout
the Peninsula and the neighbouring islands, and may be said to be tolerably abundant. I t breeds from
the beginning of July to the end of August. I succeeded in finding two nests, each o f which contained two
eggs, but I am told tb at tbree are sometimes found. The nest is formed of sticks with fine twigs o r coarse
o-rass as a lin in g ; it is about two feet in diameter and built in a strong fork o f tbe dead p art of a t r e e :
both o f those I found were about thirty feet from the ground and about two hundred yards from the beach.
The eggs, which are two inches and two lines in length by one incb and eight lines in breadth, are of a dirty
white, having the surface spread over with numerous hair-like streaks and very minute dots of reddish
brown, the former prevailing and assuming the form of hieroglyphics; these singular markings being most
numerous a t one end, sometimes a t the larger at others a t the smaller, the difference even occurring in the
two eggs of the same nest.”
The sexes are so much alike in colour th at it is by the greater size of the female alone th at they are to
be distinguished; the young, on the other hand, differ considerably from tbe adult.
Head, neck, chest and upper p art o f the abdomen snow white ; back, wings, lower p art o f the abdomen,
thighs, upper and under tail-coverts rich chestnut r e d ; first six primaries chestnut a t the base and black a t the
tip ; tail-feathers chestnut red on their upper surface, lighter beneath, the eight central feathers tipped with
greyish white; irides light reddish yellow; cere pale yellowish wh ite; orbits smoke-grey; upper mandible
light ash-grey a t the base, passing into sienna-yellow and terminating at the tip in light horn-colour; under
mandible smoke-grey; tarsi cream-yellow, much brighter on all the large scales on the front of the tarsi
and toes.
The figures are those of an adult and a young bird two-thirds of the natural size.