India GO
White-bellied sea eagle
A large white-and-grey eagle of the coast, hunting sea snakes and fish and nesting on headland trees above the beaches.
👀 How to recognise it
Brilliant white head and underparts with grey wings and a short wedge-shaped white tail. Soars along the shoreline in slow circles.
Protection
Schedule I, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
Where to see it
Goa
Pairs hold the same headland for years and are known by name to fishing villages along the Goan and Konkan coast.
Dona Paula Viewpoint (often) · Cola Beach & Lagoon (often) · Galgibaga (often)
Gokarna
The Aghanashini estuary was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, one of the few Indian estuaries recognised that way, and this eagle is among its indicator species.
Aghanashini Estuary Backwaters (Ramsar site) (often) · Om Beach Viewpoint (in season) · Nirvana Beach (in season)
Udupi
It nests in the tallest tree on a headland and defends a large territory, so a single pair effectively marks a whole stretch of coast as its own.
St Mary's Island (in season) · Delta Beach, Kodi Bengre (in season)