page_title: African fish eagle
section_title: Reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: African fish eagle / Reproduction
caption_attribution_description: Haliaeetus vocifer English: A juvenile African fish eagle near Grumeti, Serengeti, Tanzania. Its plumage indicates that it is a third year juvenile.
context_page_description: The African fish eagle, or the African sea eagle, is a large species of eagle found throughout sub-Saharan Africa wherever large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply occur. It is the national bird of Namibia and Zambia. As a result of its large range, it is known in many languages. Examples of names include:
  nkwazi in Chewa, aigle pêcheur in French, hungwe in Shona, inkwazi in isiZulu, and 'ntšhu' in Northern Sotho. This species may resemble the bald eagle in appearance; though related, each species occurs on different continents, with the bald eagle being resident in North America.
context_section_description: African fish eagles breed during the dry season, when water levels are low. They are believed to mate for life. Pairs often maintain two or more nests, which they frequently reuse. Because nests are reused and built upon over the years, they can grow quite large, some reaching 2 m (6.0 ft) across and 1.2 m (3.9 ft) deep. The nests are placed in a large tree and are built mostly of sticks and other pieces of wood.
  The female lays one to three eggs, which are primarily white with a few reddish speckles. Incubation is mostly done by the female, but the male incubates when the female leaves to hunt. Incubation lasts for 42 to 45 days before the chicks hatch. Siblicide does not normally occur in this taxon, and the parents often successfully rear two or three chicks. Chicks fledge around 70 to 75 days old. Postfledgling dependence lasts up to three months, whereafter the juveniles become nomadic, and may congregate in groups away from territorial adults. Those that survive their first year have a life expectancy of some 12 to 24 years.
caption: A third-year juvenile at Grumeti River, Serengeti, Tanzania
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