Steller's Sea Eagle: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Steller's Sea Eagle

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Steller's Sea Eagle
	Home Discussion
	Topics Steller's Sea Eagle Topic Home The Steller's Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus is a large bird of preyBird of prey A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts for food primarily using its talons.... in the family AccipitridaeAccipitridae The Accipitridae is one of the two main families within the order Falconiformes.... which also includes many other diurnal raptorBird of prey A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts for food primarily using its talons.... s such as kiteKite (bird) Kites are raptors with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring.... s, buzzardBuzzard A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.... s and harrierHarrier (bird) A Harrier is any of several species of diurnal birds of prey which fly low over meadows and marshes and hunt or harry small ... s. This is, on average, the heaviest eagle in the world, as it averages about 6.8 to 9 kg (15 - 20 lb), but may lag behind the Harpy EagleAmerican Harpy Eagle The American Harpy Eagle, Harpia harpyja, is a neotropical eagle, often ambiguously called the Harpy Eagle.... and the Philippine EaglePhilippine Eagle The Philippine Eagle is one of the rarest, largest and most powerful birds in the world.... in other measurements. This bird breeds on the Kamchatka peninsulaFacts About Kamchatka Peninsula Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometer long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with the area of 472,300 km.... , the coastal area around the Sea of OkhotskSea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Is... , the lower reaches of the Amur river and on northern SakhalinFacts About Sakhalin Sakhalin, GOST transliteration Sahalin, , also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lyin... and the Shantar IslandsShantar Islands The Shantar Islands are a group of fifteen islands that lie in Uda Bay, in the southwestern zone of the Sea of Okhotsk.... , RussiaRussia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... . The majority of birds winter further south, in the southern Kuril islandsFacts About Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, stretch approximately 1,300 km northeast from... and HokkaidoHokkaido Hokkaido listen , formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island and largest prefecture of Japan.... , JapanJapan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from... . That being said, the Steller's Sea-eagle is less vagrant than the White-tailed EagleWhite-tailed Eagle The White-tailed Eagle, also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne or White-tailed Sea Eagle is a very large bird o... , usually lacking the long-range dispersal common in juveniles of that speciesSpecies In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity.... . Description, systematics and status Stellers' Sea-eagle is the biggest bird in the Genus Haliaeetus and is one of the largest raptorRaptor Raptor can refer to:In science:... s overall. The typical size range is 86.5-105 cm (34-41 inches) long and the wingspan is 203-241 cm (6.8-8 feet). On average, females weigh from 6.8 to up 9 kg (15 to up 20 lb), while males are considerably lighter with a weight range from 4.9 to 6 kg (10.8 to 13.2 lb). An unverified record exists of a huge female, who apparently gorged on salmon, having weighed 12.7 kg (28 lb). This species is classified as VulnerableVulnerable species A vulnerable species is one whose chances of extinction characterize it as threatened but not quite as endangered.... . The main threats to its survival are habitat alteration, industrial pollution and over-fishing. The current population is estimated at 5,000 and decreasing. Two subspeciesSubspecies In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species.... have been named: the nominate pelagicus, and the Korean Sea-eagle, Haliaeetus pelagicus niger. The latter name was given to the KoreaKorea KoreaOne of the world's oldest civilizations, Korea began with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC, according to the Dangun... n population which was apparently resident all year and lacked white feathers except for the tail. Its validity is disputed; it may have been a morphMorph (zoology) A Morph or morphotype, meaning "form", is a zoological term that describes local populations or subpopulations of a si... and not a geneticallyGenetics Genetics is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms.... distinct population. In any case, the Korean population of this species is extinct since the 1950s due to habitat loss and hunting. The relationships of Steller's Sea-eagle are not completely resolved. mtDNA cytochrome bCytochrome b Cytochrome b/b6 is main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes.... sequenceDNA sequence A DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothet... data tentatively suggests that this species's ancestors diverged early in the colonization of the HolarcticHolarctic The Holarctic is a term used by zoologists to define the ecozone covering much of Eurasia and North America, which have ofte... by sea eagles. This is strongly supported by morphologicalMorphology (biology) The term morphology in biology refers to the outward appearance of an organism or taxon and its component parts.... traits such as the yellow eyes, beak, and talons shared by this species and the other northern sea-eagles, the White-tailedWhite-tailed Eagle The White-tailed Eagle, also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne or White-tailed Sea Eagle is a very large bird o... and Bald EagleBald Eagle The Bald Eagle , also known as the American Eagle, is a bird of prey found in North America, most recognizable as the ... s, and biogeographyBiogeography Biogeography is the science which deals with patterns of species distribution and the processes that result in such patterns... .(Wink et al., 1996) The large size (see also Bergmann's RuleBergmann's Rule In zoology, Bergmann's Rule is a principle that correlates environmental temperature with body mass in warm-blooded animals.... ) suggests that it is a glacial relicRelic A relic is an object, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of someone of religious significance, carefully pres... , meaning that it evolved in a narrow subarcticSubarctic The subarctic is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Canada and Si... zone of the northeasternmost AsiaAsia Asia is the largest and most populous continent or region, depending on the definition.... n coasts, which shifted its latitudeLatitude Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter f , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the ... according to ice ageIce age An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an expansion of the contine... cycles, and never occurred anywhere else. It is unique among all sea eagles in having a yellow bill even in juvenile birds, and possessing 14, not 12, rectricesRectrices Rectrices are a type of vaned feather found in a bird's tail.... . Food The Steller's Sea-eagle mainly feeds on fishFish A fish is a water-dwelling vertebrate with gills, that remains so throughout its life.... , especially salmonSalmon Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae.... and troutTrout Trout is the common name given to a number of species of freshwater fish belonging to the salmon family, Salmonidae.... . Besides fish, it also preys on water-dwelling birds, mammals and carrionCarrion Carrion is the carcass of a dead animal that becomes food for other scavenging animals such as hyenas, vultures, Tasmanian D... . This eagle may prey on young sealsPinniped Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the former biological suborder Pinnipedia of the order Carnivora.... , but seals are generally more likely to be eaten as carrion. Reproduction This eagleEagle Eagles are large birds of prey which inhabit mainly the Old World, with only two species commonly found in North America, a... builds several aerieAerie Overview An aerie is a nest of a bird of prey, built at a high altitude. ... s (height, 150 cm; diameter up to 250 cm) high up on treeTree A tree is a large, perennial, woody plant.... s and rockRock (geology) A rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.... . It is possible that the eagles change occasionally between these nestNest A nest is place of refuge built to hold an animal's eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring.... s. After courtshipCourtship Courtship is the process of selecting and attracting another for an intimate relationship such as love, sex, commitment, li... , which usually occurs between February and March, the animals lay their first white-green eggEgg (biology) In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum.... s around April to May. Usually only one chick survives. After an incubationAvian incubation The word incubate in the context of birds refers to the development of the chick within the egg and the constant temperature... period of around 39 - 45 days the chickChick Chick may refer to one of these topics:... s hatch, having ash grey to white down. As young birds the down changes to brown feathers and at an age of around ten weeks, the young birds learn to fly. They reach sexual maturitySexual maturity Sexual maturity is the stage at which an organism can reproduce.... at around four to five years. Full adultAdult The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it refers to a human: one that is no longer a child / minor and i... plumagePlumage Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers.... in the Steller's Sea Eagle only appears at age eight to ten years. Gallery External links . Retrieved 2006-DEC-01. Biocrawler.com: . Retrieved 2006-DEC-01. Arkive.org: . Retrieved 2006-DEC-01. Natural Research Ltd.: . Retrieved 2006-DEC-01.