Animal
Steller's sea eagle
Steller's sea eagle is a huge dark eagle with white shoulders and a giant yellow beak. It lives by cold northern seas and catches fish.
Steller's sea eagle is one of the largest sea and fish eagles. Dark brown with bright white shoulders, tail and legs and an enormous orange-yellow beak, it nests in far eastern Russia and feeds mainly on salmon. In winter many fly south to Japan.
Haliaeetus pelagicus is a large sea eagle believed to breed only in far eastern Russia, around the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, and winters south to Japan and Korea. It feeds mainly on fish, especially salmon, and is listed as Vulnerable: the IUCN's 2021 assessment estimates 3,600 to 4,670 mature birds, decreasing.
Photo: Saschathegerman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet Steller's sea eagle
Steller's sea eagle is a very big eagle.
Its body is dark brown. Its shoulders, tail and legs are bright white. It has a giant, curved yellow beak.
Steller's sea eagle is one of the largest sea and fish eagles. Its wings stretch about 2 to 2.5 meters, and females, which are bigger than males, can weigh up to about 9 kilograms.
It is easy to recognize. The body is dark brown, while the shoulders, tail, rump, thighs and forehead are white. Its enormous, strongly arched beak is bright yellow-orange. Young eagles get their full adult colors at about four years old.
Haliaeetus pelagicus belongs to the sea and fish eagles, the same genus as the bald eagle and African fish eagle, and is one of the largest of the group. Handbook of the Birds of the World figures give a wingspan of about 1.95 to 2.45 meters and average adult weights of about 5.45 kilograms for males and 7.9 for females; the Louisville Zoo gives maxima of about 9 kilograms (20 pounds) for females.
Adults are dark brown with white lesser wing coverts (shoulders), tail, rump, thighs and forehead, and a massive, strongly arched yellow bill. Full adult plumage is reached at about four years.
Quick facts
- Group
- Bird
- Length
- 0.89 to 1.02 m
- Wingspan
- 1.95 to 2.45 m
- Weight
- 5.45 to 7.9 kg
Where it lives
Steller's sea eagles live by cold seas in the far east of Russia.
They build nests near rivers and the coast. In winter, many fly to Japan.
Steller's sea eagles are believed to nest only in far eastern Russia, along the coasts and islands of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. They are most common on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
They live along sea coasts and big rivers, close to where fish gather. When winter comes, many fly south to northern Japan, especially Hokkaido, and a few reach Korea or China. Others stay farther north and move to water that has not frozen.
The IUCN's 2021 global assessment lists the species as resident in eastern Asian Russia and as a non-breeding visitor to Japan, China, North Korea and South Korea, with vagrants reaching the United States and Taiwan. It occurs from sea level to about 100 meters, in coastal forest, wetlands, rocky cliffs and inshore marine waters.
National Geographic describes the breeding range as the coasts and islands of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, with the highest numbers on Kamchatka. Each winter many birds migrate to Japan and a few to Korea or beyond, while others simply move to open water nearer their breeding grounds.
Continent
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
- Visits for part of the year · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Breeds only in far eastern Russia, on the coasts, islands and rivers around the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, especially Kamchatka. Only the far east of Russia is meant.
Places: Russia.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in Japan, United States, Russia, Canada, South Korea, Netherlands, China, Sweden and 12 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Visits for part of the year · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Winter visitors: many birds spend the winter in northern Japan, especially Hokkaido, and smaller numbers reach Korea and China.
Places: Japan, China, North Korea and South Korea.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
What it eats
Steller's sea eagles mostly eat fish.
They love salmon. They swoop down and grab fish from the water with their big feet. In Japan they also eat cod.
Steller's sea eagles mainly eat fish, especially salmon. When salmon swim up the rivers each year, eagles gather to feast, and they both catch live fish and eat dead ones. In Japan in winter, they eat a lot of cod.
An eagle watches from a perch or circles above the water, then dives and grabs a fish just below the surface with its talons. It may also stand in shallow water or on the ice to snatch fish. It eats crabs, squid, ducks, gulls and dead animals too, and sometimes steals food from other birds.
Fish dominate the diet, above all Pacific salmon, which the eagles both catch and scavenge; nests are typically near coasts and rivers with large salmon runs. Wintering birds in Japan feed heavily on cod. Other prey includes crabs, shellfish, squid, ducks, gulls, young hares, young seals and arctic foxes, and carrion such as seal and sea lion carcasses.
Hunting starts from a perch high above the water or from flight: the eagle circles low, dives and seizes fish just beneath the surface in its talons. It also wades in shallows or stands on ice to grab passing fish. Where food is concentrated, eagles steal from each other and from other birds, a behavior called kleptoparasitism.
Did you know?
This eagle has a deep, barking call.
Steller's sea eagle has a deep, barking call, often written as "ra-ra-ra-raurau", and a loud, gull-like call when it displays.
Its deep, barking call is rendered "ra-ra-ra-raurau"; in display it gives a loud, gull-like call.
Built for fishing
This eagle has huge wings for flying over the sea.
Its giant beak tears up fish. Its big, strong feet have sharp claws for holding slippery fish.
Steller's sea eagle is built for catching fish. Its eyes face forward, giving it excellent depth vision, and the Los Angeles Zoo explains that it can allow for the way water bends light, so it can aim at a fish under the surface.
Its large, strong feet with sharp talons carry its catch back to land, and its enormous, hooked beak tears the fish into pieces. Its broad wings, up to about 2.5 meters across, carry it over coasts and rivers.
Forward-facing eyes give strong binocular vision, which the Los Angeles Zoo notes can compensate for the refraction of light at the water's surface when the eagle targets fish. Large feet with sharp talons secure slippery prey, and the massive, strongly arched yellow bill tears it apart.
The white shoulders, tail and thighs contrast sharply with the dark body. Females are noticeably larger than males. The deep, barking call is often written as "ra-ra-ra-raurau", and in display the eagle gives a loud, gull-like call.
Growing up
Steller's sea eagles build giant nests of sticks.
The nest sits high in a tree or on a cliff. The mother lays one to three eggs. The chicks leave the nest after about ten weeks.
A pair builds an enormous nest of sticks, called an aerie, at the top of a big tree or on a cliff ledge. Nests can be 1.8 to 4.6 meters across, and the eagles use them year after year.
The female lays one to three eggs, which hatch after 38 to 45 days. The young leave the nest at about 70 days old, and they reach full adult colors at about four years. The Los Angeles Zoo estimates that these eagles live about 20 years.
Nests, or aeries, are huge stick structures in large deciduous or coniferous trees, occasionally on crags or in smaller trees; the Los Angeles Zoo describes nests on treetops or cliff ledges about 30 meters up. The Los Angeles Zoo gives sizes of about 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 meters) across and up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep, and pairs return to them year after year. Building starts in late winter.
Clutches are usually one to three eggs, which hatch after 38 to 45 days; young leave the nest at about 70 days. Young birds reach full adult plumage at about four years. In winter some young birds scavenge at slaughterhouses. The Los Angeles Zoo estimates the life span at about 20 years; the Louisville Zoo lists it as unknown.
Gathering for the salmon
Steller's sea eagles usually live on their own.
But when lots of salmon swim up the rivers, many eagles come together to eat. They make a deep, barking call.
For most of the year Steller's sea eagles are fairly solitary. But during the yearly salmon runs, when huge numbers of salmon swim up rivers, many eagles gather along the banks to feast.
In these crowds, eagles often try to steal fish from each other. In winter many move south to find water that is not frozen, and they stand on ice or in shallow water to catch fish. Their call is a deep, barking "ra-ra-ra".
Usually solitary in the south of the range, Steller's sea eagles congregate where food is abundant, especially on salmon rivers during the summer salmon runs. In these gatherings kleptoparasitism is common, with birds stealing fish from one another and from other species.
The species is migratory in part. Many birds move south in winter to find unfrozen water, reaching the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido, while a small number stay in Kamchatka over the winter. A few are seen in Korea and China.
Did you know?
A Steller's sea eagle nest can be much wider than a bed.
Steller's sea eagle nests can be up to about 4.6 meters across and 3.7 meters deep.
The Los Angeles Zoo gives nest sizes of 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 meters) across and up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep, built at the tops of large trees or on cliff ledges.
Helping sea eagles
There are not many Steller's sea eagles.
They need rivers full of fish and big trees for nests. Laws protect them where they live.
Steller's sea eagle is listed as Vulnerable. Scientists estimate there are only about 3,600 to 4,670 adult birds, and their number is going down.
Logging and building along coasts take away nesting trees, and in many places there are fewer salmon than there used to be. Oil and gas drilling, pollution and power lines are also risks. The eagles are protected by law throughout their range, and international trade in them is controlled.
The IUCN's 2021 global assessment lists the species as Vulnerable (criterion A3), with an estimated 3,600 to 4,670 mature individuals and a decreasing trend. Listed threats include commercial and industrial development, oil and gas drilling, wind energy, power lines, hunting, logging, fishing, disease, industrial pollution and climate change, including droughts, temperature extremes and storms.
The Louisville Zoo highlights habitat loss from logging and coastal development and the depletion of salmon stocks across much of the range. The species is listed on Appendix II of CITES and Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species. Its feathers were once highly prized, but National Geographic notes that it is now protected throughout its range.
IUCN Red List
How is the steller's sea eagle doing in the wild?
- Least Concern
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable (this animal)
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Vulnerable
At high risk of disappearing from the wild.
See the IUCN Red List assessment · The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3
Amazing facts
-
A Steller's sea eagle nest can be much wider than a bed.
Steller's sea eagle nests can be up to about 4.6 meters across and 3.7 meters deep.
The Los Angeles Zoo gives nest sizes of 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 meters) across and up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep, built at the tops of large trees or on cliff ledges.
-
These eagles sometimes stand on ice to catch fish.
Steller's sea eagles sometimes stand on the ice or in shallow water and grab fish as they swim past.
Besides diving from perches or flight, Steller's sea eagles wade in shallows or stand on ice to seize passing fish.
-
These eagles sometimes steal fish from each other.
When many eagles gather at a salmon river, they often try to steal each other's fish.
At concentrations of salmon, kleptoparasitism, stealing food from other birds, is common among Steller's sea eagles.
-
This eagle has a deep, barking call.
Steller's sea eagle has a deep, barking call, often written as "ra-ra-ra-raurau", and a loud, gull-like call when it displays.
Its deep, barking call is rendered "ra-ra-ra-raurau"; in display it gives a loud, gull-like call.
Words to know
- sea eagle
- a large eagle that lives near water and eats mostly fish
- aerie
- the large nest of an eagle or other bird of prey
- salmon run
- the time each year when huge numbers of salmon swim up rivers to lay eggs
- talons
- the long, sharp, curved claws of a bird of prey
- kleptoparasitism
- stealing food that another animal has caught
- vulnerable
- facing a high risk of disappearing from the wild
Discovery challenge
-
What does a Steller's sea eagle mostly eat?
What is the main food of Steller's sea eagles?
Which food dominates the Steller's sea eagle's diet in its breeding range?
- Salmon and other fish
- Grass and leaves
- Ants
Show the answer
Salmon and other fish
They mostly eat fish, especially salmon.
They mainly eat fish, especially salmon, and cod in Japan in winter.
Pacific salmon, both caught and scavenged; nests are typically near rivers with big salmon runs.
-
Which parts of this eagle are white?
Which parts of an adult Steller's sea eagle are white?
Which features are white on an adult Steller's sea eagle?
- Its beak and feet
- Its shoulders, tail and legs
- Its whole body
Show the answer
Its shoulders, tail and legs
Its shoulders, tail and legs are white. Its beak is yellow.
The shoulders, tail, rump, thighs and forehead are white; the beak and feet are yellow-orange.
White lesser coverts, tail, rump, thighs and forehead, against dark brown plumage and a yellow bill.
-
Where do many of these eagles go in winter?
Where do many Steller's sea eagles spend the winter?
Which country receives most of the wintering Steller's sea eagles that migrate?
- Japan
- Brazil
- Egypt
Show the answer
Japan
Many fly to Japan for the winter.
Many fly south to northern Japan, especially Hokkaido.
Japan, especially Hokkaido; a few reach Korea or China.
-
How are Steller's sea eagles doing in the wild?
What is Steller's sea eagle's conservation status?
How did the IUCN's 2021 assessment list Steller's sea eagle?
- Vulnerable
- Least Concern
- Extinct
Show the answer
Vulnerable
They are vulnerable. There are only a few thousand, and laws protect them.
They are vulnerable, with only about 3,600 to 4,670 adults left.
Vulnerable, with 3,600 to 4,670 mature individuals and a decreasing trend.
Places where you might see it
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how Steller's sea eagle's eyes, beak, feet and wings suit catching fish.
- Locate the breeding range in far eastern Russia and the wintering areas in Japan and Korea.
- Explain how salmon runs connect rivers, forests and eagles.
- Describe why the species is vulnerable and how it is protected.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might many eagles gather in one place during a salmon run?
- Why do some eagles fly south in winter while others stay?
- How could fewer salmon in rivers affect eagles and other animals?
Try at home or in class
- Put a coin in a clear bowl of water and try to point at it from the side; notice how water bends light, as a fishing eagle must allow for.
- Measure 4.6 meters on the floor with tape to see how wide the biggest nests can be.
Key vocabulary: sea eagle, aerie, salmon run, talons, kleptoparasitism, vulnerable
Where these facts come from
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller's Sea-eagle), Red List global assessment 2021 , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Steller's sea eagle , National Geographic
- Steller's Sea Eagle , Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens
- Eagle, Steller's Sea , Louisville Zoo
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 24, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.