Rare black eagle rescued from house in Palavakkam

CHENNAI: Wildlife officials on Saturday rescued a rare eagle, later identified as a black eagle, from a house in Palavakkam.
M Arun, a resident of Sankarapuram First Street in Palavakkam, alerted officials from the forest range office in Velachery about the bird.
He said he saw the eagle perched on a neem tree in the vacant plot next to his house.
“A group of crows were chasing the eagle and it flew to my portico,” he said.
After securing the bird, Arun called the wildlife officials, who rescued the bird. Officials said the eagle was not injured, but exhausted.
Ornithologist and director of Institute of Bird Studies and Ornithology V Santharam said black eagles (Ictinaetus malayensis) are commonly found in areas boasting of 50% forest cover, including Javadhi hills, Kalrayan hills, Servaroyan hills in the state and Tirupati hills in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
“Records of sighting this bird in Chennai are few in number,” he said.
Santharam said the bird, which has a larger wingspan compared to other eagles, may have flown to the city from Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in Tirupati hills, following a recent forest fire.
Santharam said the black eagle’s wingspan ranges between 4ft and 6ft.
The predatory bird, whose distinguishing features include a long tail and broad wings, feeds mainly on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
International Union for Conservation of Nature placed this bird in the least concerned category, but warned that population trends showed a decrease in the number of black eagles in the wild.
“If the bird is healthy, then it has to be released in the forests of Eastern Ghats. Amirthi forest in Javadhi hills or Tirupati forests are the closest to the city,” the ornithologist said.