igel

English: ‘eagle’.

The two commonest eagles in PNG are the New Guinea Eagle (alt. Harpy-Eagle) Harpyopsis novaeguineae, a dweller of montane rainforest, and the White-Breasted Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster. For discussion of the behaviour of the New Guinea Eagle, see Majnep and Bulmer 1977:139-142.

Other eagles present are Gurney's Eagle, Aquila gurneyi, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax, the Little Eagle, Hieraaetus morphnoides, and Sanford’s Eagle, Haliaeetus sanfordi (see Coates 1985).

Speakers of Tok Pisin may also refer to other large raptors as igel. Size is a clue, and the next size below eagles, e.g. the Brahminy Kite and Black Kite, are tarangau. However, it is uncertain whether the Osprey or Long-Tailed Buzzard are classed as igel or tarangau.

(No Mihalic entry)
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Noun forms

  1. Bird: an eagle ® tarangau

© Revising the Mihalic Project, 26 Jan 2005 [Home]