Steller's sea eagle

Steller's sea eagle
A Steller's sea eagle near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
Species:
H. pelagicus
Binomial name
Haliaeetus pelagicus
(Pallas, 1811)
  breeding only
  resident all year
  winter only
  vagrant range
Synonyms[3]
  • Aquila pelagica (Pallas, 1811)
  • Thalassaetus pelagicus (Pallas)
  • Falco leucopterus (Temminck, 1824)
  • Falco imperator (Kittlitz, 1832)

Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), also known as Pacific sea eagle or white-shouldered eagle[citation needed], is a very large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It was described first by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. No subspecies are recognised. A sturdy eagle, it has dark brown plumage with white wings and tail, a yellow beak, and yellow talons. Typically, it is the heaviest eagle in the world, at about 5 to 10 kg (11 to 22 lb), but in some standard measurements, may be ranked below the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).[4] Steller's sea eagle females are bigger than males.

The Steller's sea eagle is endemic to coastal northeastern Asia, where it lives in Russia, Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. It mainly preys on fish and water birds. The Kamchatka Peninsula in Far Eastern Russia is known for its relatively large population of these birds; about 4,000 of these eagles live there.[5] Steller's sea eagle is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List (IUCN Red List) of threatened species.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Haliaeetus pelagicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22695147A93492859. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22695147A93492859.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ Sharpe, Richard Bowdler (1874). Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Vol. 1. British Museum. pp. 306–07. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  4. ^ Ferguson-Lees, James; Christie, David A. (2001). Raptors of the World. illustrated by Kim Franklin, David Mead, and Philip Burton. London, UK: Christopher Helm. pp. 406–08. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
  5. ^ "Fauna on Kamchatka: Brown Bear, Steller's Sea Eagle, Salmon". Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2017.