White Bellied Sea Eagle (haliastur leueogaster)

This species seen singly or in pairs, and is reasonably common over Long Reef. It has a slow, buoyant sort of flight as it soars around seeking live fish in the shallows below. It can be seen soaring over the headland and has its wing tips bent upwards. The Sea Eagles’ diet consists of live fish, as a tidal scavenger it will also eat crabs, sea-snakes or other small marine animals. A large nest is made of dead mangrove sticks at the top of a large tree, often in mangrove swamps. The nest is sometimes lined with finer material and the outside decorated with seaweed. Two bluish white eggs are the usual number laid. They are streaked and scratched with wavy lines of chocolate brown. The nesting season in eastern Australia is August to October, though earlier in the far north.

This bird is the mascot of the local NRL team, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles.