A White-bellied Sea-Eagle kills a Wedge-tailed Shearwater at sea

Mick Roderick (Shortland, New South Wales, Australia) has published in The Whistler on a White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster killing a Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus pacificus.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“A White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster was observed taking a live Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica that was completely submerged as the sea-eagle approached.  Although sea-eagles are known to hunt seabirds, there appears to be no published evidence of them taking a seabird that is submerged in Australia.  A sequence of images illustrates the scenario.”

Wedge-tailed Shearwater, photograph by Alan Burger

Reference:

Roderick, M. 2014.  Observation of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle taking submerged seabird prey.  The Whistler 8: 56-57.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 22 June 2015