(haliaeetus pelagicus)
The Steller's Sea Eagle is a magnificent bird, one of the biggest eagles in the world. It breeds along the coasts of Kamchatka, around the Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin and inland short distances along major rivers. It mostly winters in southern Kamchatka and in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. It is classed as 'vulnerable' with a total population is approximately 3,200 breeding pairs. Possibly up to 3,500 birds winter on Kamchatka, and another approximately 2,000 may occur on Hokkaido.
Along with the Red-crowned Cranes, a visit to see the Steller's Sea Eagles on the sea ice off Hokkaido is one of the greatest spectacles of world birding and for many will be one of the main reasons for visiting northern Japan in the depths of the bitter winter weather. Boat trips run from Rausu harbour out the the edge of the sea ice where copious amounts of discarded fish are thrown out to the birds. On our trip over a hundred Steller's Sea Eagles along with around 60 White-tailed Eagles were seen close to our boat.