The Key to Scientific Names
- HALIAEETUS
(Accipitridae; Ϯ White-tailed Eagle H. albicilla) L. haliaetus or haliaetos sea-eagle, osprey < Gr. ἁλιαιετος haliaietos sea-eagle, osprey < ἁλι- hali- sea- < ἁλς hals, ἁλος halos sea; αετος aetos eagle; "6. HALIÆETUS. Bec assez droit à la base; cire convexe; narines lunulées, transverses; tarses épais, écailleux: ongles intérieur et postérieur grands. ... GENRE VI, HALIÆETUS. ... ESPÈCE. 9. HALIÆETUS Nisus. L'Aigle de mer." (de Savigny 1809): based on Aλιαιετος, Nisus, and Haliæetos of ancient authors, "Pygargus" and "Albicilla" of Aldrovandus 1599-1603, Willughby 1676, and Ray 1713, and Vultur Albicilla Linnaeus, 1766; "Haliæetus Savigny, Descr. Égypte, Ois., 1809, p. 68, 85. Type, by monotypy, Haliæetus nisus Savigny = Falco albicilla Linné." (Peters, 1931, I, p. 257).
Var. Haliaeatus, Haliaetos, Haliaetus, Haliacetus, Halaeetus, Halioetus, Halyaetus, Heliaeetus.
Synon. Blagrus, Cuncuma, Icthyophaga, Ichthyaetus, Ossifraga, Polioaetus, Pontoaetus, Thalasoaetus.
● (Accipitridae; syn. Haliastur † Brahminy Kite H. indus) “Haliæetus, Savigny. Fish Hawks. Size and form intermediaye between Aster and Aquila. Bill large, straight where covered by the cere, strongly curved and hooked beyond. Margin with a slight festoon in the middle. Cere rather large, occupying nearly one third the length of the bill. Nostrils oval, obliquely transverse. Wings lengthened; the third quill longest. Feet rather short. Tarsi slender, feathered beyond the knees; the front and back smooth. Anterior scales transverse; posterior as if in one entire piece; lateral scales, and those at the base of the toes, very small and indistinctly reticulate. Toes strong; inner toe the shortest of all. Claws grooved beneath, unequal; hinder and inner nearly of the same size, outer-most much smaller than the middle. Tail broad, rounded. (fig. 196.) H. Pondicerianus. Pl. Enl. 416. Note.—How far the other species, placed in this group by authors, agree with the above definition, cannot be ascertained. I have, therefore, taken the characters entirely from this one species, which seems to have an equal, and perhaps a greater, claim to a station in the genus Pandion.” (Swainson 1837); “Haliaeetus “Savigny” Swainson, 1837, Nat. Hist. Classification Birds, II, p. 215 (not of de Savigny, 1809). Type, by monotypy, Falco pondicerianus Gmelin, 1788 = Falco indus Boddaert, 1783.” (JAJ 2023).
