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White-bellied Sea Eagle and the Grey Heron

on 22nd February 2007

Allan Teo was with his fellow photographers in Changi on 3rd February 2007 when suddenly a juvenile White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) appeared in the sky chasing a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) (above). Taken totally by surprise, yet he was ready with his equipment to record a few dramatic shots of this exciting aerial chase.

Although the eagle is a superior hunting machine, the graceful but cumbersome heron succeeded in out-maneuvering the raptor by zigzagging in the air to eventually dived into a patch of low growth and thus escaped the latter’s talons.

In Allan’s very own words: “The heron swept back its outer wing panels to reduce drag and increased airspeed (below). It allowed the White-bellied Sea Eagle to come in closer. Whenever the eagle extended its claws towards it, the heron always twisted and turned in the air, out flanking the eagle.

“The chase ended when the heron let the eagle come in close once again before it suddenly levelled out and dived into the bushes.”

The heron’s sudden crash among the vegetation disturbed the House Crows (Corvus splendens) that were foraging around the shrubs. These crows instinctively flew up and chased the eagle away. A lone Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) that was around, normally an enemy, allied itself with the crows and joined in the chase.

Input and images by Allan Teo.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

10 Responses

  1. This is a spectacular series of images and a great description of the chase. Thank you. I’m particularly struck by the size difference between the birds. That eagle is HUGE!

  2. Those pictures are STUNNING. And so is the story.

    I am glad the heron got away. I often see grey herons here (Japan) and have become a fan – they have such a weird elegance and dignity. The pointy-toed hunch-shouldered flying style gets me every time, and that second-to-last picture is a classic.

    But I’m amazed at the crows taking on the eagle like that – the size difference is astonishing. Do they dare because they’re in a gang?

    I don’t like to admit it out loud around here, but I am fascinated by the clever crow hooligans that are such a menace in Japanese cities. Just yesterday I found a fabulously arty coat hanger nest high up a tree in a small park near my house, and got some pictures. (Here. I will go back and try to get better focused pictures at some point.) In the same park there was another, ‘traditional’ crow’s nest – not a coat hanger in sight. Why do they do that? It makes the whole thing look very purposeful – one nest all coat hangers, the other none, like they were picking and choosing rather than just being opportunistic.

  3. Crows incorporate wires, pieces of plastic cords and even coat hangers into their nest. But this is the first time I have seen a nest made nearly entirely with hangers. Yes, get more pictures and share them with us here.

  4. I’ll try! I can only get a view from underneath – the nest is too high and not visible from elsewhere. (And I haven’t climbed a tree since I was about 12.) The only other wire nest I’ve seen (on TV) had woody bits on top and a nicely padded interior, and no doubt this one does too, but I can’t find out for sure.

    I have discovered why the nests are so different, though. This link explains (under ‘nesting preferences’) that carrion crows build their nests in deciduous trees, and jungle crows in evergreens. So most likely the wire nest is a jungle crow’s nest – that’s a camphor tree, which is evergreen. I don’t know what the other tree is, but it’s definitely deciduous.

    I didn’t even know we had two types of crows in urban areas, let alone that they were so similar looking. I’ll be looking at them more closely from now on.

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