Photos

White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), Pampanga, Philippines

Captive bird I saw at a rest stop on my way from Manila to Northern Luzon. This particular rest stop was after the Candaba Highway - it had clean rest rooms and restaurant and a mini zoo with birds, civet cat, boars and other animals.

In one big cage was this eagle which I thought was a juvenile Philippine eagle. It turned out that it's a White-bellied Sea Eagle, most probably in its second year plumage.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is found throughout Southeast Asia and is a resident but uncommon in the Philippines.

They are usually found along the coasts actively fishing, flying low to snatch prey from the surface of the water.