Pygargue empereur— Quebec wildlife

Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), also known as the Pacific sea eagle or white-shouldered eagle, 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 recognized. 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 other standard measurements, may be smaller than the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) and the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi). Steller's sea eagle females are bigger than males, as in other raptors. The Steller's sea eagle is endemic to coastal northeastern Asia, where it lives in Russia, Korea, Japan, and China. 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. 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.

Diet

Steller's sea eagle mainly feed on fish and are apex predators of their environment. Their favored prey in river habitats are salmon and trout (of the Pacific salmon genus; Oncorhynchus spp.). Among these, pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) and chum salmon (O. keta) are reportedly favored, sometimes intensely supplemented by grayling (Thymallus sp.) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). While pink and chum salmon average approximately 2.2 and 5 kg (4.9 and 11.0 lb) in mature mass, respectively, Steller's sea eagle not infrequently preys on fish up to 6 to 7 kg (13 to 15 lb). In coastal areas, nesting eagles may feed on Bering wolffish (Anarchichas orientalis), Hemitripterus villosus, smooth lumpfish (Aptocyclus ventricosus), and Myoxocephalus spp. Relatively large numbers of these normally solitary birds can be seen congregating on particularly productive spawning rivers in August through September due to an abundant food supply. On Kamchatka, aggregations of as many as 700 eagles have been reported, though much smaller groups are the norm. In summer, live fish, typically in the range of 20 to 30 cm (7.9 to 11.8 in) in length, are fed to the young at the nest. Normally, the parents catch about two or three fish for the young to eat each day. In autumn, when many salmon die after spawning, dead fish tend to be consumed more often than live ones, and these are the main food for Steller's sea eagles that overwinter in inland rivers with unfrozen waters. On Hokkaido, eagles are attracted by abundant Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), which peak in the Rausu Sea and the Nemuro Straits in February. This resource supports an important commercial fishery, which, in turn, helps to support eagles.

Reproduction

This eagle builds several bulky aeries made of twigs and sticks at a height up to 1