African Fish Eagle

Lake Manyara National Park offers the most reliable sightings because the permanent lake shore provides ideal habitat. Arusha National Park's Momella Lakes also hold resident pairs. In the Serengeti and Tarangire they are present along larger rivers but less predictable. Any water body with tall perching trees is potential territory.

Yes, and it is one of the most dramatic hunting events you can witness on safari. The eagle drops from a perch, extends its talons, and snatches a fish from the surface in a single high speed pass. A morning spent near a known perch at Lake Manyara gives you a realistic chance of seeing a strike.

The call is a loud, wild, yelping cry given with the head thrown back. It carries across open water for more than a kilometre. It is one of the most evocative sounds in the African bush and is widely considered the signature call of the continent's waterways.

No. While fish make up the majority of their diet, they also take flamingos, ducks, monitor lizards, frogs and carrion. They are known to pirate catches from herons and storks, forcing them to drop prey in mid flight. They are opportunistic and adaptable hunters.

Females are larger than males, with a wingspan of around two metres and a body weight of roughly 3.5 kilograms. Males are slightly smaller at around 2.5 kilograms. They are mid sized eagles, smaller than a martial eagle but larger than most other raptors you will see on a Tanzania safari.

Yes, they are in the same genus, Haliaeetus. The African fish eagle and the American bald eagle are close relatives that share similar hunting strategies, white head markings and waterside habitats. The resemblance is not coincidental. They diverged from a common ancestor and both specialised in fishing.