Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus)

OTHER NAMES: Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, Greater Fishing Eagle
Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("sea-eagle") ichthyaetus ("fish eagle")

Adult Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus icthyaetus) at Prek Toal, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 1.6-2.3kg  /  Length: 61-75cm  /  Wingspan: 155-170cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

The Grey-headed Fish Eagle is a widely distributed but somewhat scarce resident of Southern Asia - in most places it hasn't adapted as well to human encroachment as well as it's cousin the white-bellied, but still is fairly widespread.  In Cambodia, we saw several at very close range at Prek Toal within the fish-rich wetlands, but even even bustling Singapore I got a brief view of one hunting at Sungeih Buloh.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA -  Khmer: អកត្រីក្បាលប្រផេះ ("Grey ?")

 A scarce, localised resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Twos seen at Prek Toal

SINGAPORE - A scarce resident.

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: One bird seen fleetingly at Sungei Buloh

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)

OTHER NAMES: White-Bellied Fish Eagle, White-breasted Fish Eagle

Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("Sea Eagle") leucogaster ("white abdomen")

Adult White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 4.5kg  /  Length: 75-85cm  /  Wingspan: 2.2m
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The White-Bellied Sea Eagle was actually one of the very first bird species I encountered on the Malaysia/Singapore trip - on the night we arrived I spent about 30 minutes standing in the driveway just to see what would turn up, and a pair of these huge birds circled high overhead.  This is perhaps indicative of something I haven't really encountered in other eagles - the are far happier to live near humans than all the other species.  Unlike the other species I have encountered, I found them right in the middle of Cities - either flying over Central Singapore or a family perched right in the middle of central Malacca. The bird pictured is a juvenile, and so lacks the distinctive mostly white plumage of the adults, which I did see (indeed, on the same perch) but more more distantly at the time.

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - Helang Siput ("Snail Eagle")

A locally common resident on the coast.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: At least three seen in Central Malacca

SINGAPORE - A fairly common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Two birds seen circling high above Lower Peirce Reservoir.
 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Several seen at Gardens by the Bay

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .