Steller's Sea- Eagle - Woodland Park Zoo Seattle WAClassification and Range. Steller's sea- eagles belong to the family Accipitridae, a very diverse group of diurnal raptors encompassing eagles, hawks, kites, buzzards, harriers and New World Vultures. Eight fish eagles, including the bald eagle, make up the genus Haliaeetus. Its scientific name Haliaeetus pelagicus aptly describes the Steller's as . They breed only in far eastern Russia on the Kamchatka peninsula, coastal areas around the Sea of Okhotsk and north along the West Bering Sea.
Some remain year round, but the majority over- winter farther south in Hokkaido, Japan's northern main island, and on islands or coastal areas around the Sea of Okhotsk. Some migrate farther afield to the Korean peninsula and China, and a few vagrants roam as far as the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands in Alaska.
Owls are nocturnal hunting birds with eyes that face forwards. They are closely related to hawks. Owls sleep during the day and emerge at night to hunt small prey.
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Habitat. Their primary habitats include narrow coastal strips, islands, and forested valleys near lakes and river estuaries. High rocky cliffs along sea coasts and tall trees provide suitable nest sites. Steller's sea- eagles fish from the sea and near mouths of rivers where salmon spawn. These eagles share their limited habitat with the smaller white- tailed sea- eagle and the golden eagle. Physical Characteristics.
Steller's sea- eagles are huge birds. They, along with the Harpy and Philippine eagles, have the distinction of being the largest and heaviest eagles. The smaller males weigh 1. The body length ranges from 3. In comparison, the bald eagle weighs 8- 1.
Steller's sea- eagles possess distinctive physical characteristics for easy identification of adult birds. White feathers comprise large shoulder patches, long leggings, wedge- shaped tail, and small forehead and crown patches on a large blackish- brown body.
Its immense and strong beak is deep, arched and yellow. Eyes, cere and feet are also yellow.
Spectacled Owl Fascinating Facts. Spectacled owls are the largest of the New World tropical owls that inhabit the rain forest! Many people falsely believe that owls. Animal List A to Z. Type a search word to list animal names with that word (for example, cat or tail), or click a letter from A to Z to list animal names starting. It might seem that a bird as big and as strong as a Harpy Eagle would not need our help, but the truth is that large animals, especially predators, are sometimes the. Learn about the size, diet, population, range, behavior and other fascinating facts about American alligators. Status of the bald eagle - On June 28, 2007 the Department of Interior took the American bald eagle off the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened.
Their unfeathered feet have powerful, curved talons and rough pads for grasping slippery fish and other prey. Immature birds have dark brown and lighter mottled feathers, dark brown eyes and orange beaks. They gradually acquire adult plumage and coloration in 4 to 5 years. Nests perch high on rocky cliffs or near tops of tall mature trees often in a dead area. Pairs add sticks to an existing nest which may reach 5 feet in height and 8 feet across. One to three white- green eggs are laid in April or May when highs reach slightly above freezing. Incubation length is uncertain, perhaps as long as 3.
Usually only a single chick survives within a clutch, but often none survive and the adults abandon reproduction for that year. Life Cycle - It's tough out there!
Success is far from assured even if a chick survives. Growing from a tiny altricial hatchling to a new fledgling takes about 1. Dangers include disease, predation from sable and vermin, and falls from - or with - the nest. The adult pair must protect the nest, as well as provide increasing amounts of food for the growing eaglet. By 1. 0 weeks the young learn to fly, and by late summer they leave the nest, many to migrate southward to over- wintering areas. Many young eagles do not survive their first year on their own, succumbing to both natural and human- related causes.
Not much is known about juveniles during the 4 to 5 years it takes to reach sexual maturity. Finding Food. Steller's sea- eagles use varied techniques to obtain fish. Excellent vision, perhaps 6- 8 times sharper than humans, enable eagles to spot prey from a distance. They perch high in trees or on cliffs then dive down to snatch fish near the water's surface. Less frequently they hunt on the wing, or by standing and grabbing passing fish. Eagles gather in large numbers where salmon spawn and take live fish and scavenge on the carcasses.
Many sea- eagles, especially juveniles, find food through kleptoparasitism – stealing food from other birds. They take fish from eagles (other Steller's, white- tailed, golden) and other birds especially osprey. Dumps of offal from commercial fishing may also be utilized as a food source. Birds and mammals also form part of the Steller's diet. Predation on ducks, gulls and nesting sea bird colonies provides a critical part of eaglet diets in some areas. Eagles hunt small mammals, such as hare and fox, but they also raid commercial traps for sable, mink and ermine.
They will eat carrion of washed up seal and sea- lion carcasses. In the mid- 1. 99. Hokkaido, over- wintering Steller's ate from Sika deer carcasses left behind by hunters.
Even tiny amounts of ingested lead fragments killed many birds. Survival - Brrrr - Anyone know we're here? Relatively little is known about the species. Its formidable and isolated habitat makes research difficult. In their summer breeding grounds, high temperatures average 5. Fahrenheit (1. 1- 1.
C). Winters are extremely severe with frozen seas and lakes, and drifting sea ice. Over- wintering areas in Hokkaido and on Kamchatka have average January highs of only 1. Look up in the trees to find its large stick nest. Visitors can often see wild bald eagles nesting in the elk yard from the Elk Overlook or near the gray wolf exhibit. Northern Trail also exhibits snowy and barred owls. The Raptor Center exhibits several raptor species, turkey vulture, ferruginous hawk, peregrine falcon, Harris' hawk, great- horned owl, spectacled owl and barn owl. Great gray owls reside in the Temperate Forest exhibit adjacent to Bug World.
Conservation Connection. Steller's sea- eagles are currently a CITES II species with an IUCN status of . Trappers retaliate for losses of fur bearing animals. Poaching occurs. Habitat degradation results from industrial pollution, logging, hydroelectric projects, atmospheric pollution and over- fishing. Projected oil and gas drilling, pipelines and transport projects would further encroach on vital breeding and feeding habitat. Their range is already very limited and the eagles depend on clean waters and old forests. The estimated population of 5,0.
Steller's sea- eagles in the wild is small and declining. Since 2. 00. 6 migration patterns of some nestlings have been tracked by satellite in- situ by the Zoological Society of San Diego, and Natural Research Ltd. Russian, Japanese and American conservation, educational and governmental institutions combine efforts within the International Working Group for the Steller's Eagle Conservation. These recent studies add to knowledge of the bird's breeding habits, population dynamics, and diet. Conservation actions promote a future for Steller's sea- eagles. The Steller's is a Natural Monument in Japan and the government banned the use of lead ammunition in Hokkaido. Very few zoos in America exhibit this species.
San Diego Zoo has a pair and has loaned an additional four pairs to other zoos. Woodland Park Zoo acquired a potential breeding pair in 2.
With a proven history of exhibiting and breeding birds- of- prey, the zoo joins the conservation effort to save the magnificent Steller's sea- eagle. We need raptors. Here are only a few of the benefits raptors provide: Raptors help keep animal populations in balance. Raptors consume many animals that humans consider as pests, including mice, rats and destructive species of insects. This helps to control disease and damage to crops. As top predators of their food chain, raptors are an indicator species of the overall health of the ecosystem in which they live. Of equal importance, witnessing wild raptors enriches each of our lives.
Imagine what life would be like if we could no longer see a raptor soaring through the sky. Woodland Park Zoo is Helping - With Your Support! Woodland Park Zoo once rehabilitated injured and sick eagles. The zoo returned more than 7.
Pacific Northwest. You can help in this cause. Join and become active in Woodland Park Zoo and other conservation organizations of your choice.
Contact Woodland Park Zoo at webkeeper@zoo. Handbook of the Birds of the World, volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 1. Weidensaul, Scott. Raptors: the Birds of Prey.
Lyons and Burford, Publishers, NY, NY, 1.
Owls - Enchanted. Learning. com. Advertisement. Enchanted. Learning. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner- ad- free version of the site, with print- friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.(Already a member? They have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls eat smaller prey whole and larger prey in chunks. The owl is at the top of the food web; it has no major predators.