Steller's Sea Eagle

Steller's sea eagle

Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus Pelagius) is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae that lives in coastal northeastern Asia and mainly preys on fish and water birds. On average, it is the heaviest eagle in the world, at about 5 to 9 kg (11 to 20 lb), but may be below the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) in some standard measurements. It is named after the German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Stellar

Etymology

This species was first described as Aquila pelagica by Peter Simon Pallas, in either 1811 or 1826 depending on the source. Subsequently, many generic and specific names have been variously spelled, e.g., Haliaeetus Pelagius, Haliaeetus pelagica, Faico leucopterus, Faico imperator, Thallasoaetus Pelagius, Thallasoaetus macrurus, Haliaeetus macrurus, and most recently Thallasoaetus Pelagius. Besides its normal common name, the species has sometimes been referred to as the Pacific eagle or white-shouldered eagle. In Russian, the eagle has been called morskoi Orel (sea eagle), pestryi morskoi Orel (mottled sea eagle) or beloplechii orlan (white-shouldered eagle). In Japanese, it is called ō-washi (large eagle or great eagle)

Description

Steller's sea eagle is the biggest bird in the genus Haliaeetus and is one of the largest raptors overall. Females vary in weight from 6,195 to 9,500 g (13.658 to 20.944 lb), while males being rather lighter with a weight range of 4,900 to 6,800 g (10.8 to 15.0 lb). The average weight is variable, possibly due to seasonal variation in food access or general condition of eagles, but has been reported as high as a mean mass of 7,757 g (17.101 lb) to a median estimate weight of 6,250 g (13.78 lb), excluding expired eagles that were poisoned by lead and endured precipitous weight loss by the occasion of their deaths. At its average weight, the Steller's seems to outweigh the average harpy by approximately 500 g (1.1 lb) and the average Philippine eagles by more than 1,000 g (2.2 lb). Steller's sea eagle can range in total length from 85 to 105 cm (2 ft 9 in to 3 ft 5 in), apparently males average about 89 cm (2 ft 11 in) in length, while females average about 100 cm (3 ft 3 in), marginally shorter on average than the harpy eagle and about 65 mm (2.6 in) shorter than the Philippine eagle. The wingspan is from 1.95 to 2.5 m (6 ft 5 in to 8 ft 2 in) and the wing chord measurement is 560 to 680 mm (22 to 27 in).

The sea eagle's wingspan is one of the largest of any living eagle, at a median of 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) per Ferguson-Lees (2001) or a median of 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) per Saito (2009). Closest are the closely related white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), at reported median wingspans of 2.1 and 2.18 m (6 ft 11 in and 7 ft 2 in) and the unrelated wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax), at reported average wingspans of 2.04 and 2.23 m (6 ft 8 in and 7 ft 4 in); nonetheless, both other eagles are rather smaller in overall size, particularly body mass. The Steller's sea eagle's absolute maximum wingspan is less certain; many sources place it at up to 2.45 m (8 ft 2 in). However, less substantiated records indicate that it may also reach up to 2.74 m (9 ft), if true this would make it one of the largest eagles in the world by wingspan as well as body size.