As golden ribbons of sunlight emanate from the sunset and spill across the landscape, the ‘Voice of Africa’ sounds out.
The harmonious yodel cuts through the stridulating of insects and the soft, summer breeze; demanding attention. A lone African Fish Eagle is the source of the sound; perched on the branch of a tree, high above the dam, standing proud and vigilant. It’s no wonder that he is known as the ‘Voice of Africa’. His song travels, reverberating across the water, and sets the scene for this African sunset.
Characteristic of the species, this African Fish Eagle dons a white head and tail feathers, bright yellow face with a hook-shaped beak and a deep brown body which catches alight with red until it is burnt to black on his wings. He is a marvel; a part of a history older than that of humans or primates. The African Fish Eagle belongs to the Haliaeetus genus of sea eagles, along with six others of its kind; four of which can be found on the Indian subcontinent, circling the Himalayan foothills.
While the subject of our study on this fine evening, his female counterpart is actually larger than he is. Her wingspan stretches 2.4 metres, while his are slightly shorter at 2m. Other than their size, they are a matching set. African Fish Eagles mate for life and return to their nest year-after-year, unless forced to occupy a new territory. They choose large, strong trees for their mammoth-sized nests and will continue to repair and add on to the existing structure over the years. On average, a breeding pair will incubate two eggs and this is mainly left to the female, who will rotate the eggs throughout the 45 day incubation period to ensure their temperature is evenly maintained. Interestingly, the eggs do not hatch at the same time. This often results in a dominant, larger chick; the smallest of the pair is left to compete for resources and often does not survive infancy. Young African Fish Eagles fledge just over the two month mark and will remain close to the nest for a few months more, until they fly off to start a new life cycle in a different territory, with their own mate.
Of the pair, it is the male’s responsibility to source food when there are chicks in the nest; when the reproduction cycle of another year has passed, however, they will each hunt for themselves. Like other raptors, the African Fish Eagle is designed to catch prey. His talons are sharp and large and his feet are barbed to provide better grip on slippery fish. As his name suggests, the African Fish Eagle’s diet consists mainly of fish, though he will happily feast on small birds, ducks, baby crocodiles and even flamingos – if he resides on the salt pans in East Africa. He is also a kleptoparasite, meaning that he will happily steal the meal off of unsuspecting prey, such as the Goliath Heron and Saddle-Billed Stork.
The ‘Voice of Africa’ sounds out a call from his perch before stretching his blackened wings and taking off on the breeze. The sunlight glints off the water’s surface, as he floats on the warm air, gliding effortlessly. His talon breaks the mirror of water below him; this dam has been his home for some time. With a powerful curl of his wings, he climbs into the pastel sky and flies off into the distance. The sun sets on another glorious day in Africa.