Wp/nys/Ngoolor - Djilyiyan (White bellied Sea-eagle)
Djilyiyan (Kongal-boyal wer Kongal-marawar)[1] or Ngoolor (Noongar LOTE wer Djiraly)[1] is a large raptor, called in English the White bellied Sea-eagle. Its scientific name is Haliaeetus leucogaster. Djilyiyan is closely related to Sanford's Sea-eagle of the Solomon Islands. The English name "sea-eagle" for these birds is used to distinguish them from "fish-eagles".[2]
Djilyiyan is revered by Aboriginal people in many parts of Australia, and is the subject of various stories throughout its range. The call is a loud goose-like honking.
Djilyiyan is resident on coasts and major waterways from India and Sri Lanka through Southeast Asia to Australia, see map of its range. It is ranked as "Threatened" in Victoria and "Vulnerable" in South Australia and Tasmania.
A distinctive bird, the adult Djilyiyan has a white head, breast, under-wing coverts and tail. The upper parts are grey and the black under-wing flight feathers contrast with the white coverts. The tail is short and wedge-shaped as in all Haliaeetus species. Like many raptors, the female is slightly larger than the male, and can measure up to 90 cm long with a wingspan of up to 2.2 m. Immature birds have brown plumage, which is gradually replaced by white until the age of five or six years.
Djilyiyan Waarnk - Stories about the White bellied Sea-eagle
[edit | edit source]Ngiyan waarnk - References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Djerap - Noongar Birds". Batchelor Press. 2014. ISBN 978 1 74131 292 8
- ↑ del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J., eds. (1994). "Handbook of the Birds of the World". 2 edition. Pub. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. p 121. ISBN 84-87334-15-6