Rare Species Of Bird White-Bellied Sea Eagle Found In Odisha’s Khurda

Bhubaneswar: A rare species of sea eagle was rescued from a temple in Odisha’s Khurda district on Saturday.

According to sources, some youths had gone to offer puja in Chandeswar Jagannath temple at Tangi in the district in the morning. While going around the temple premises, they found the unusual looking chick in a nest.

They informed other people, who identified it as ‘Kurubal’, and brought the chick out of the rest. They safely kept the bird in a cage and informed the Forest department.

The Forest officials went to the village and took possession of the bird. They identified it as white-bellied sea eagle, which is a rare species of eagle. They took the eagle chick for its medical examination and find a suitable habitation to release it.

It is mostly found along the coasts of Southeast Asia to Australia. The nests of white-bellied sea eagle have been spotted around Chilika lake at Satapada in Puri, Rambha in Ganjam and Sholeri and Kalupada in Khurda district.

Also known as white-breasted sea eagle, it is a large diurnal bird of prey in the Accipitride family. The white-bellied sea eagle breeds and hunts near water, and fish form around half of its diet.