Steller's Sea-Eagle

Haliaeetus pelagicusOrder: FALCONIFORMES Family: Kites, Eagles and Hawks (Accipitridae)

Codes: Common Name: STSE Scientific Name: HALPEL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175423

Related Birds

Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Northern Goshawk
Gyrfalcon

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Overview

Steller's Sea-Eagle: Large eagle, mostly black except for white forehead, shoulders, rump, lower belly, and leg feathers. Bill is large, heavy, and orange. Legs and feet are yellow. Tail is long, white, and wedge-shaped. Rare visitor to Alaska. Alternates deep wing beats with short to long glides.

Range and Habitat

Steller's Sea-Eagle: Rare vagrant to the Aleutian and other Alaskan islands. Breeds along the north Pacific coast of Asia from Bering Sea coast south to Kamchatka peninsula and north coast of Sea of Okhotsk. Spends winters south to Korea and Japanese island of Hokkaido. Found along coasts and large rivers.

Topo Map: Hawk-like Body

Voice Text

"ra-ra-ra-raurau"

Interesting Facts

The Steller's Sea Eagle was named for the noted 18th-century zoologist Georg Wilhelm Steller. They are also known as the Pacific or White-shouldered Eagle.

They are unique among all sea eagles in having a yellow bill even in juvenile birds, and possessing 14, not 12, rectrices. They are also the heaviest eagle in the world, averaging about 15 lbs.

This species is classified as Vulnerable. The main threats to its survival are habitat alteration, industrial pollution and over-fishing. The current population is estimated at 5,000 and decreasing.

A group of Steller's Sea-Eagles are collectively known as a "constellation" of sea-eagles.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Steller's Sea-Eagle

● Song: "ra-ra-ra-raurau"

● Foraging & Feeding: Steller's Sea-Eagle: Eats mainly fish and birds but also seal pups and hares.

● Breeding & nesting: Steller's Sea-Eagle: One to three white eggs, slightly tinted green, are laid in a large nest made of sticks and branches, built up to 100 feet above the ground, usually at top of a tree; nest may be up to 8 feet across and 12 feet thick. Female incubates eggs for 38 to 45 days.

● Similar species: Steller's Sea-Eagle: Bald and White-tailed eagles are smaller, have pale heads, smaller bills, more rounded wingtips, and lack white patches on wings.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several deep flaps with glides.

● Range & Habitat: Steller's Sea-Eagle: Rare vagrant to the Aleutian and other Alaskan islands. Breeds along the north Pacific coast of Asia from Bering Sea coast south to Kamchatka peninsula and north coast of Sea of Okhotsk. Spends winters south to Korea and Japanese island of Hokkaido. Found along coasts and large rivers.

^BreedingMonogamous, Mates for life

^PopulationAccidental to casual

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight273.6 Ounces

Hawk-like Body

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America