Description of nesting and foraging habitat of the Madagascar Fish-eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides: a conservation initiative

Recent surveys indicate the Madagascar Fish-Eagle Haliaectus vociferoides p opulation is about 100 breeding pairs; the species is considered among the most endangered birds of prey worldwide. This paper reports one of several studies to determine the causes of the species' rarity so that an effective species survival plan can be implemented. Nesting and foraging habitat par ameters including nest, nest tree, surrounding vegetation, and adjacent wat er parameters, were measured at 56 nests found along the western seaboard o f Madagascar. Descriptive statistics were used to look for consistent patte rns among habitat parameters. While certain trends were apparent, such as a lways nesting within sight of water and in the largest trees, there was lit tle evidence that would suggest negative human impact on nest site or forag ing habitat availability for this species wherever large trees and water ec otones remain, yet many such sites are unoccupied. Conservation of water-fo rest ecotones in western Madagascar is a high priority for the survival of this species, but wider conservation measures are needed to address direct human interference and additional study is needed to fully understand habit at limitation and other possible causes of the species' rarity.