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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing Steller’s sea eagles. Also known as white shouldered eagles for their white shoulders in adults, this doesn’t appear until they reach about four years of age. Until then they have juvenile plumage which is similar to the adults but lacking those obvious white shoulders. These eagles are considered some of the largest alive today with females, who are bigger than males, weighing in at 21 pounds (9.5kg) and 8 foot (2.4m) wingspans at max size. For the average person, even if you stood with your arms in the air, you wouldn’t be taller than the Steller’s sea eagle’s wingspan.

Steller’s sea eagles breed in the warmest parts of the year and their breeding grounds are typically found along the northern coasts of Russia. These raptors generally don’t travel too far from water though some may follow rivers inland away from the sea. These birds nest along seaside cliffs or in large trees. Often a pair will have a few available nests throughout their range which they’ll tidy up before selecting a single nest for the season. The breeding season lasts from February to August. First the Steller’s sea eagles will tidy up or build their nests. Then they participated in courtship flights to establish or reestablish their bonds. Then the female will lay one to three pale green eggs in the nest starting around April or May. Incubation takes about 40 days and the young birds are able to leave the nest just over two months later. Both their parents help in raising them, though often only a single chick survives. It’ll be four years before young Steller’s sea eagles are ready to start breeding and it’s believed these birds live to be at least twenty years old in the wild, though this isn’t known with certainty.

These raptors live mostly in Russia but can also be seen in Japan, Korea, and China especially during winter when their northern range is more frigid. There have also been vagrant Steller’s sea eagles seen in Alaska and Taiwan, though these are exceptions and often quite rare. Generally, Steller’s sea eagles are solitary or live in monogamous pairs during the breeding season, however in places where food is abundant they may be found in large groups, sometimes along with other sea eagles! The main diet of the Steller’s sea eagle is fish, however, they’ll also take crustaceans, small mammals, and even other birds, especially gulls, if fishy food is scarce. They may hunt from a perch or on the wing, soaring over potential meals. Often they can be seen congregating where fishing operations dump their unsellable catch and the eagles feast on these leftovers!

There are currently believed to be 5,000 Steller’s sea eagles alive today. While adults have no natural predators, eggs and young may be taken by crows and martens. Of course, these birds are still at risk from human-related threats which include pollution, habitat loss, overfishing, and more. Thankfully, these birds are often protected in the areas they inhabit and they’re even considered a national treasure in Japan.

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