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<p>The dietary composition of apex predators provides insights into the prey base and their adaptability to adversity. Thus, it serves as an indicator of ecological dynamics. The white-bellied sea-eagle (<i>Haliaeetus leucogaster</i>, WBSE), as an apex predator, acts as a bioindicator of aquatic ecosystem health. Changes in its diet composition mirror shifts in prey populations, reflecting broader ecological disturbances such as habitat loss or resource depletion. This study consisted of an extensive field study during the two breeding seasons of the WBSE (2021–2022 and 2022–2023), coupled with a meta-analysis focusing on two objectives: assessing the dietary components of the WBSE in the eastern coastal region of India, and the distribution of dietary proportions in inland wetlands of Australia among different prey types, and the impact of habitats on dietary compositions. Our findings suggest that on India’s eastern coast, fish account for 76% of the diet in the WBSE, which is significantly higher than the cross-regional average of approximately 47% (0.47 proportion). In addition, WBSE on the east coast of India (coastal areas) consumed more fish than their Australian inland wetland counterparts (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05). These results reveal that WBSE can exploit different prey types across various habitats, which is suggestive of the importance of habitat-specific prey availability deciding the pattern of diet selection in the given region.</p>

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Habitat-dependent dietary pattern of white-bellied sea-eagle: a cross-regional meta-analysis

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年3月25日

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  • Sakti Prasad Pattnayak,
  • Aditya K. Panda,
  • B. Anjan Kumar Prusty,
  • Sandeep Rout,
  • Priyanka Jena

摘要

The dietary composition of apex predators provides insights into the prey base and their adaptability to adversity. Thus, it serves as an indicator of ecological dynamics. The white-bellied sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster, WBSE), as an apex predator, acts as a bioindicator of aquatic ecosystem health. Changes in its diet composition mirror shifts in prey populations, reflecting broader ecological disturbances such as habitat loss or resource depletion. This study consisted of an extensive field study during the two breeding seasons of the WBSE (2021–2022 and 2022–2023), coupled with a meta-analysis focusing on two objectives: assessing the dietary components of the WBSE in the eastern coastal region of India, and the distribution of dietary proportions in inland wetlands of Australia among different prey types, and the impact of habitats on dietary compositions. Our findings suggest that on India’s eastern coast, fish account for 76% of the diet in the WBSE, which is significantly higher than the cross-regional average of approximately 47% (0.47 proportion). In addition, WBSE on the east coast of India (coastal areas) consumed more fish than their Australian inland wetland counterparts (P < 0.05). These results reveal that WBSE can exploit different prey types across various habitats, which is suggestive of the importance of habitat-specific prey availability deciding the pattern of diet selection in the given region.