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• Steller's Sea Eagle

Scientific Name: Haliaeetus pelagicus

As with other birds in genus Haliaeetus (fishing eagles), the eyes of this bird are able to adjust to the refraction caused by water.  This allows them to clearly see their prey under the surface of the water despite the visual distortion of waves and reflections.

STATUS: Due to its small range and numbers, this bird is classified as vulnerable.  Small range, small numbers, hunting, and falling nests or chicks are some of the problems these birds face.  Smaller salmon runs due to damming of rivers and fishing methods by humans are also a major obstacle.

HABITAT: The Steller’s sea eagle can be found in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia and coastal areas along the Pacific in Russia, ranging down to northern Korea and Japan, across the Bering Sea and Pribilof Islands to Alaska.

DIET: Fish, principally salmon; medium to large birds such as ptarmigan, ducks, and geese; mammals such as foxes and young seals; stranded fish as well as carrion.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: A huge brown bird with white shoulder bands, white bars on the underwing, and a white tail, thighs and rump.  The yellow, hooked beak is the largest of any sea eagle.  Steller’s sea eagles exhibit sexual dimorphism, females being larger than males.  Birds are about 35 to 40 inches long with a 7½ to 8 foot wingspan in the male and over 8 feet in the female.  Males weigh approximately 13 pounds and females up to 20 pounds.  The large strong feet and sharp talons are designed to handle live prey, and the hooked beak is designed to tear and shear flesh from bones.  The toes and bottom half of the feet are featherless, perfect for a bird that hunts by reaching into the water to capture prey.

It’s All About the Salmon

These birds are resident within their range but will migrate to open waters in the winter.  They are always on the lookout for salmon runs, picking up dead or dying salmon after spawning.  Hunting is often done from a perch, where fish are spotted just under the surface of the water.  Although largely solitary, these birds will congregate during salmon runs.  During the breeding season, two eggs are commonly laid, but usually only one chick will survive to fledging.  Adult plumage is not reached until the fourth year.  Breeding may not occur for a year or two afterwards.

Steller’s sea eagles were named after Georg Wilhem Steller, a German born naturalist who accompanied Vitus Bering on his ill-fated 1841 voyage to explore the sea and strait that now bears his name.  Other animals named after him are the Steller’s jay, Steller’s sea lion, Steller’s eider (a type of duck), and Steller’s sea cow (a relative of the manatee that was extinct less than 30 years after discovery).