272 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



91. Haliaeetus albicilla (XiNNiEus). 



GRAY SEA EAGLE. 



Falco albicilla Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, ed. 10, 1, 1758, 89. 



Haliceetus albicilla Leach, Systematic Catalogue of Mammals and Birds in the 

 British Museum, 1816, 9. 



(B 42, C — , R 452, C 533, U 351.) 



Geographical range : Northern portions of eastern hemisphere and south- 

 eastern Greenland. 



The Gray Sea Eagle is included in our fauna from its being found in 

 southern and southeastern Greenland, where it breeds on the rocky cliffs of 

 the seashore of Davis Straits. 



Mr. Henry Seebohm, in his "History of British Birds," speaks of this 

 Eagle as follows: "The haunt of the White-tailed Eagle is not necessarily 

 a maritime one, although the bird is more attached to the eoasts and the 

 sea cliffs than the Golden Eagle. It may, however, be often seen far away 

 from the ocean, choosing for its haunt some large inland lake, especially if 

 there be lofty cliffs and rocky islets on which it can perch to scan the sur- 

 rounding country. 



"The haunts of this noble looking bird are the brown hills of the Heb- 

 rides and the adjacent isles, and the wild mountain country of the mainland 

 in the West. On the bold and rocky headlands of this wild, rugged coast, 

 whose hoary peaks are wa"shed by the treacherous waters of the Minch, the 

 Sea Eagle finds a congenial home. The scenery of Skye is typical of this 

 Eagle's favorite haunt. On that bleak and desolate isle it occurs in probably 

 larger numbers than in any other place in Great Britain. * * * 



"In Pomerania, especially between Stettin and the Baltic, the Sea Eagle 

 is a common resident, breeding in forests. It builds an enormous nest, some- 

 times 6 to 8 feet in diameter, near the top of a pine, or on the horizontal 

 branch of an oak or beach, preferring forests near inland seas and large lakes. 

 Instances have been known of its breeding in the same 'horst' for twenty years 

 in succession. Every year some addition is made to the nest, until it becomes 

 5 or 6 feet high. Occasionally a pair of Sea Eagles have two 'horsts,' which 

 are used alternately. They are shy birds and leave the nest at the least alarm, 

 but do not easily forsake their old home. If the eggs are taken early in the 

 season they will frequently lay again in the same nest. They make a very 

 flat nest, and generally line it at the top with moss. The male and female 

 are said to sit alternately, and the female is said to be shyer than the male at 

 the nest. Two is the usual number of eggs, but frequently only one is found; 

 in rare cases as many as three are laid. Eggs may be taken from first week 

 in March to the middle of April. * * * 



" The White-tailed Eagle is undoubtedly mated to its partner for life, and 

 even should one of the birds be destroyed the survivor will obtain a fresh com- 



