Steller's Sea eagle

( Haliaeetus pelagicus )

The Steller’s Sea eagle is the world’s largest sea eagle, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters. It lives in the wild in East Asia, but here in Scandinavian Wildlife Park it’s representing all the sea eagle species, including the white-tailed eagle. The lifestyle of these two sea eagles is quite similar. They primarily feed on fish, which they catch in shallow waters. Their menu also consists of various waterfowls, such as ducks and geese.

Steller's Sea eagle

weight

5-9 kg

Habitat

By sea coasts, lakes and rivers

Diet

Fish and small seabirds.

Offspring

1-3

The residents

At Scandinavian Wildlife Park we have two Steller’s sea eagles. They are both males and are not related to each other. There are no plans to breed with the sea eagles with us, so we instead have a bachelor group of males who will not otherwise participate in the breeding program.

The aviary

The aviary is the largest of its kind exclusively for white-tailed eagles. It is 60×60 m in area and is 12 m high. The netting on the aviary was originally made to protect fish farms, and has an incredibly high breaking strength. The small lake has a shallow area towards the stands, where the water is 20 cm deep, but at its deepest it is about 70 cm.
We do not have physical contact with the white-tailed eagles, as they are not hand-reared as is often seen with falconry birds. The white-tailed eagles cannot therefore fly like a glove, but are not dependent on humans for permission to fly either. They can choose when they want to stretch their wings in their aviary.

Mød Stellers Havørnen i Skandinavisk Dyrepark

Habitat

White-tailed eagles live in a wide variety of habitats, but are always closely associated with water. They are often found in coastal areas, where they can breed on both high sea cliffs and low-lying islands, but they can also live near large rivers, lakes and wetlands inland. In winter, many white-tailed eagles gather in coastal wetlands, estuaries and marshes, where food is more readily available. White-tailed eagles prefer quiet environments with old, tall trees for nesting, and they usually avoid places with a lot of noise and human activity.

Distribution

The European white-tailed eagle’s range extends from coastal areas in Western Europe and Scandinavia to Siberia and parts of Central Asia. It breeds both in temperate lowland areas and further north in more subarctic regions. This makes it more ecologically adapted than the Steller’s white-tailed eagle, which is more specialized for the subarctic zone.
The Steller’s white-tailed eagle breeds on the Kamchatka Peninsula and along the coast of eastern Russia. In winter, many of the eagles migrate to Korea, Japan and China, but most winter south of the breeding grounds in Russia and on Hokkaido in Japan, while a few wanderers have been observed as far away as North America and Taiwan.

Djursland

There are also breeding white-tailed eagles on Djursland, and you can spot them from several of the larger lakes and along the coast. Stubbe Lake is a good location to spot the white-tailed eagle on Djursland, and you just have to keep an eye out for the mergansers. When they panic, it’s time to look up, because then the Lord of the Sky is on the hunt. Occasionally we also see them over the Scandinavian Wildlife Park, and they are almost always just around the eagle aviary looking at their Russian cousins. Maybe they are trying to figure out how they can also get a share of the lunch program.

Classification: Bird (Aves)

Order: Accipitriformes

Family: Accipitridae

Distribution: Eastern Russia and northern Japan

Habitat: Coastal areas, lakes and rivers

Lifespan: Unknown, but probably more than 20 years

Wingspan: 2.5 m

Height: 85-105 cm

Weight: Male: 5-7.5 kg – Female: 6-9 kg

Maturity: 5-6 years

Mating season: February/March

Eggs: They lay eggs in April/May and the eggs hatch after 39-45 days

Number of offspring: 1-3

Food: Primarily fish, but also seabirds, small mammals, shellfish and carrion

Steller's Sea eagle