White-Bellied Sea-Eagle

Haliaeetus leucogaster

Other Names: White-breasted Sea Eagle, "Manly Sea Eagle" (NRL)
Family:
Accipitridae (Osprey, Hawks, Eagles, 18 species in Australia)
Size: F 80-85 cm, M 75-77 cm, wingspan 190 cm approx
Distribution: Coasts all around Australia and inland in some places of Eastern Australia up to 1000 km
Status: Moderately Common
Habitat: Large rivers, fresh and saline lakes, reservoirs, coastal seas, islands.
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest

The White-Bellied Sea-Eagle is Australia's second largest bird of prey after the Wedge-Tailed Eagle. It is the mascot of the National Rugby League (NRL) team the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (3008 x 2000)

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution (1868 x 1782)

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster
Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848. Original Scanned Image.

Some Birdwatching Resources


Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition, by Michael Morcombe Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition, by Michael Morcombe. Based on the above larger book. It's a while since I've seen this one. The publisher's commentary says that "This slimline, compact edition contains the same information on mainland and Tasmanian birds as his best-selling handbook, the Field Guide to Australian Birds. Features include plastic jacket, QuickFind system of colour tags and Quick Index ensure durability and ease of use in the field."

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)


Field Guide to Australian Birds, by Michael Morcombe Field Guide to Australian Birds, by Michael Morcombe. This one has colour drawings of the eggs and the nests which not many other field guides do (I can't think of any that do). It's an excellent field guide and one of the four main ones (the other three being above this one). The weakness of this field guide is that some of the pictures of the birds aren't as good (or accurate) as the other three most used field guides. It's also the heaviest though there is a pocket edition which is much smaller and lighter.

Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)

Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson)

See Also

Australian Bird Field Guides

Return to Australian Birds
Return to Site Map


australia birds field

Content is copyright © Survival.org.au 2005-2026 All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use. Definitely read the disclaimer before trying anything from this website, especially including the practices and skills. This website uses affiliate links – this doesn't cost you any more, but I get a commission on purchases made through the website. As an Amazon Associate I earn similarly from qualifying purchases.

White-Bellied Sea-Eagle - Haliaeetus leucogaster

Australian Birds

Website Index


Popular Pages


Newest Pages