The Steller's sea eagle is one of the largest and most beautiful birds in the world. Meeting him is much more impressive than meeting with a white-tailed eagle or the symbol of the United States, the bald eagle. Therefore, the careful attitude and protection of these birds, which are found only in our Far East, are very important.

The Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), also called the Steller's eagle, is a rare bird of prey from the hawk family that lives only in the Russian Far East. It is listed in the Red Books of Russia and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Appendix II to the international CITES convention, Appendix II of the Bonn Convention and Appendices of bilateral agreements concluded by Russia with the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the DPRK on the protection of migratory birds. About 10% of the population is located in protected areas, the most important of which are the Kronotsky, Magadansky, Komsomolsky reserves, the Yuzhno-Kamchatsky state reserves, Lake Udyl, the regional reserves of the Moroshechnaya River, Lake Kharchinskoye (Kamchatka). ... In Kamchatka, the most promising is the creation of specially protected natural areas in the lower reaches of the river. Kamchatka and the basin of the river. Cloud eagles. Steller's sea eagles are kept in 20 zoos and nurseries of the world, successful breeding is known in the zoos of Moscow, Alma-Ata, Sapporo. The closest relatives of this aerial predator are the smaller white-tailed and bald eagles.

Habitat and range of the Steller's sea eagle

Inhabits the southern part of the Koryak Upland (up to the middle course of the Apuka River), the valley of the Koryak River. Penzhins, about. Karaginsky, the whole of Kamchatka, the coastal areas of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk to the south to the lower reaches of the Amur, the Shantar and Kuril Islands, the northern part of Sakhalin. Occurs and possibly nests in Primorye. The diet, predominantly on fish, has determined the close connection of the Steller's sea eagle with the sea coasts, where this species inhabits high-trunk coastal forests and rocks, as a rule, no further than 50 - 80 km from the sea. Sometimes nests near large rivers and lakes, along the Amur it is found up to the river. Gorin. For the winter, some eagles remain in their nesting sites or roam within the nesting area, while others migrate south to Primorye, North Korea and Japan.

Steller's sea eagle biology

Among the birds of the Far East, in beauty and majesty, there is no equal to the Steller's sea eagle. This relict predator is one of the largest birds of prey in Eurasia: total length 105-112 cm, wing length 57-68 cm, weight 7.5-9 kg. According to some reports, the weight of females can reach 12.7 kg. The Steller's sea eagle with a wingspan of up to 2.5 m is the largest of the Russian birds of prey, and the size of its nests is beyond any competition. The huge bright yellow beak, snow-white shoulders, legs and tail contrast sharply with the general dark brown plumage of the body. Young Steller's sea eagle birds in their first annual plumage are monochromatic brown with white feather bases. Males and females are colored the same, and the final outfit is worn at three years of age. Eagles form mating pairs at the age of 4, but successful breeding is possible, apparently, not earlier than 7 years. The breeding season begins with mating games in February-March. The Steller's sea eagle nests in trees, high from the ground, for many years in a row in the same place. An old perennial nest was found in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, which reached almost 2m in height and 3m in diameter! The eagles regularly used the nest from year to year, renovating and completing it, until the stone birch on which this “airfield” was built cracked. Eagles nest near the sea coasts, but mainly in river valleys. The Steller's sea eagle usually lays two eggs in April-May, but of the two chicks that have appeared, only one young bird often grows and rises on the wing. In the Moscow Zoo, there was a case in 1994, when a female laid 5 eggs. The disproportionately large beak and monstrous claws of the Steller's sea eagle can inflict mortal wounds on both a deer and a ram, but they are designed specifically for catching and “butchering” salmon. Life expectancy in nature is unknown; at the Sapporo Zoo by 1993, the female had reached 43 years of age.

Size and threats to the population

In the world on wintering in 1986, according to experts, there were 7.5 thousand birds. At present, the total number of the species is probably about 5 thousand individuals. In the largest Kamchatka population there are about 1.2-1.5 thousand pairs, on Sakhalin in 1990 the number was estimated at 460 individuals, and about 110 pairs nest, in the Amur region and on the Shantar Islands - 800-820 sexually mature birds (310-320 pairs ). A high number of Steller's sea eagles is noted on lakes in the lower reaches of the Amur, and in total from 50 to 60 pairs of these birds nest in the Khabarovsk Territory. One nest is known in the Kuril Islands on Onekotan. The highest density of nests is observed on the forested coast of Kamchatka. On the island arc of the Japanese Kuriles-Kamchatka Islands, significantly more Steller's sea eagles winter than in the continental part of the range, and in Kamchatka and Hokkaido, up to 70% of the world population and more are collected. A definite relationship between the abundance of the Steller's sea eagle and the white-tailed eagle has been traced: in the areas of their joint habitation, the abundance of the latter is almost always significantly lower. However, in areas where there are few Steller's sea eagles, for example, at the northern border of the range in the Koryak Highlands or in the inner parts of Kamchatka, the number of white-tailed eagles noticeably increases. High nest populations and fertility are usually associated with successful wintering. After a difficult winter, up to 40% of pairs do not breed (usually 6-11%), the size of the clutch decreases and the proportion of unfertilized eggs increases (up to 20%). The most important limiting factor in Kamchatka is the shooting (catching) of eagles by hunters who want to protect the furs from trapping, sometimes birds fall into traps by accident; there are facts of sale of dead eagles for stuffed animals. In the north of Kamchatka, eagles are shot by reindeer herders, who believe that the birds kill (injure) the reindeer. On rivers close to highways and settlements, the disturbance factor progresses, as a result of which clutches or downy chicks die from hypothermia and predation by black crows. Cases of death of birds due to lack of food in winter are known. Due to the recreational and economic pressure on the coast of Sakhalin and some lakes in the lower Amur region (Kizi), the share of abandoned nesting sites has doubled. The consumption of fish poisoned by industrial effluents in Primorye raises concerns. The population of the Steller's sea eagle is considered by experts to be small, relatively stable, with a tendency to a gradual decline in numbers. The main factors that are destructive for eagles are: pollution of habitats with industrial and domestic wastewater, a decrease in the food supply from overfishing, deforestation, mining, shooting of birds by people, and even lead poisoning from eating shot in the remains of game shot by hunters (in Japan). The growth of mass unorganized tourism is also threatening the original nesting sites of the Steller's sea eagle. There are known cases of destruction and fall of nests, as well as their ruin by ground predators and humans.

compiled by P.O.Sharov, candidate of biological sciences, photo: P.O.Sharov

Other rare species of the Russian Far East

Steller's sea eagle- the largest of the eagles, larger than a goose. Females are usually larger than males and weigh up to 9 kg (males up to 6 kg). The length is almost 88-102 cm, the wingspan is 203-245 cm! It is kept alone or in pairs. During flight, the extreme feathers at the ends of the wings are finger-like. The voice is a loud, low cry of "ra-ra-ra-rau-rau." Adult birds are well distinguished from other eagles by their white shoulders. The tail is wedge-shaped. Habits like other eagles.

Steller's sea eagles quickly congregate in places rich in food, and just as quickly disperse when food reserves are depleted or the conditions of their availability change.

Biotope... Lower river valleys with tall forests and rocky sea coasts, shores of large lakes. Prefers forests in the lower reaches of rivers, along the banks of estuaries and large lakes and along the sea coast. Breeds on rocky cliffs, on islands, sometimes on rocks in river valleys.

In non-nesting time, it lives mainly on the sea coast and on reservoirs where there are fish. The presence of reservoirs with available fish, primarily salmon, is a decisive factor in the placement of Steller's sea eagles.

Reproduction... Monogs. Mating pairs are formed at the age of more than 4 years, at which time eagles can build a ritual nest in the fall, in which they do not nest. They begin to reproduce at the age of no earlier than 7 years. Mating games begin in March. Mating takes place at the nest. Oviposition occurs in April - May in a snowy environment.

The nest is a huge structure of massive and heavy branches on top of a tree (poplar Ropulus suaveolens, Birch Betula ermanni, larch Larix daurica) at a height of 6-11 m or on the upper surface of rocks, often overgrown with grass, at a height of 5 to 120 m (usually not higher than 50 m). Usually nests are built at the tops of large, mature trees, usually with a dead top, less often nests are built on healthy trees. One nest has been used for 5-8 years. Often a couple has two nests (located at a distance of no more than 900 m from each other), which they occupy from time to time. Repaired annually, the nests grow in size and reach 3 m in diameter, 2 m in height.

In clutch there are 1-3 white with a greenish tinge eggs, incubation lasts 34-36 days. Incubation starts with the first egg. Dimensions: 65-58 x 85-78 (Tachanevsky, Hartert), weight 149 g.

Steller's sea eagle(Haliaeetus pelagicus)

Dead clutches are sometimes renewed if the egg disappears at the beginning of oviposition or incubation. Chicks hatch in May - June and stay in the nest for 2-2.5 months, hatch in late July and August, rarely in September.

Parents feed chicks with fish 20-30 cm long. On the day, birds bring food to the nest 2-3 times. Until mid-October, broods are kept 2–3 km from the nesting site.
Sometimes bulky, heavy nests, which increase in weight in rain and heavy snow, collapse or fall as a result of poor attachment.

Clutches die from predators (sable, ermine and black crow), hypothermia, if disturbed adult birds leave the nest for a long time. Chicks sometimes fall out of the nest, die from diseases, in addition, due to kainism, when the older chicks kill the younger ones. The breeding success of a particular pair also depends on the quality of the nesting site and the hunting experience of the birds.

Nutrition... The basis of the diet is salmon. They also feed on carrion; attack young seals, birds (capercaillie, grouse, ducks, gulls), mammals (hares, arctic fox, ermine, sable), marine invertebrates (bivalve molluscs, cephalopods, crabs), carrion, sea discharges.

With the beginning of the salmon spawning movement, most Steller's sea eagles eat them, and not only live fish, but also dead fish that have spawned, and often prefers it.

In winter, in Primorye, he uses the waste of fur farms, meat processing plants, dumps of cattle burial grounds.

Most often, Steller's sea eagles hunt from tall trees or rocky ledges at a height of 5-30 m. They can hunt, soaring in the air, circling at a height of 6-7 m above the water. Eagles sometimes hunt, standing in shallow water on a sandbank, grabbing fish with their claws.

Molting... The full annual (but part of the feathers still remains old, like in the white-tailed), takes place from mid-May, that is, the second phase of the breeding season, until the end of September-early October; the process takes about 5 months. The small feather is replaced simultaneously with the large one, the primary flight feathers begin to shed somewhat earlier secondary ones; the change of helmsmen takes place between June and September. The sequence of the change of the primary flight feathers from the periphery to the middle, starting from the tenth and ending with the fourth and fifth; secondary flight feathers molt from the outer edge to the inner; tail feathers change from the extreme pair to the middle pair, asymmetrically (established by observations of the birds that lived in the Moscow Zoo). The sequence of changing outfits is as follows: the first downy outfit - the second downy outfit - the nest or first annual outfit - the second annual (intermediate) outfit - the third annual (intermediate) outfit - the fourth annual (final) outfit, etc.

Dimensions and structure... Weight of young males 5-6 kg, adult (1) 7.5 kg; the weight of adult females is 6.8 and 8.97 kg. Wing length 570-680 mm, tail 320-345 mm in adult birds, in juveniles in the first plumage (as in other eagles) the flight and tail feathers are longer. Males are noticeably smaller than females. The beak is massive, as if swollen; we spit from the front covered with small mesh shields; tail of 14 tail feathers, sharply wedge-shaped.

Color... The main signs of an adult outfit appear at 4-5 years old, but the final outfit is put on only at 8-10 years old.
The first downy outfit is silky white, the second, unlike the white-tailed eagle, is smoky brownish-gray (Steineger).
The first annual (nesting) plumage is uniformly dark brown with white feather bases and light streaks on tail feathers. Eyes are dark brown, legs are whitish, claws are black, beak is blackish-brown.
Second annual outfit: white bases of body feathers are smaller, on tail and large wing feathers there are more white streaks, on lateral tail feathers brown color occupies the apex of a feather and a small field at the base and along the edge of the outer webs; iris and beak, as in the nesting plumage.
In the third annual plumage, young birds are grayish-brown in streaks, but their beak, with the same massive and yellow beak, makes it possible to reliably distinguish birds of this species even at a young age.
The fourth annual (final outfit) the shoulders, belly and tail are white, the forehead and peculiar white "pants" (shin feathers) are white, the rest of the plumage is dark brown. The bill is massive, convex, bright yellow. Paws are yellow; eyes are light nut-brown.

Number... Life expectancy in nature is unknown; in captivity, one female lived to 43 years.

The population of the species is about 7.5 thousand individuals. On the sea coast, in suitable places, one pair lives for every 2.5-8 km, and in the valleys of large rivers, in some places, 2-3 nests are located 0.8-1.5 km from one another.

In the north of Kamchatka, eagles are shot by reindeer herders, who believe that these birds kill (injure) the reindeer.

The Steller's sea eagle is listed in the IUCN International Red Data Book, the Russian Red Data Book, in the CITES Convention (Appendix I).

Systematic remarks... Described as a special species from Korea Haliaetus niger Heude, 1887 (synonym Haliaetus branickii Taszanowski, 1888) an eagle, in general very similar to the Pacific one, but without a white forehead, without white feathers on the wing and a dimmer and darker blackish tone in the final plumage. Young, judging by the available descriptions, are indistinguishable. According to the literature, such eagles seem to nest in Korea (Heiannando, Kochendo, Keikido, according to the Hand-list of the Japanese Birds, 1932), where the type originates (Tsen-pien, between Seoul and Vladivostok) and where most of the individuals of this rare bird. Godlevsky's instructions on observations on Onon in Dauria are unreliable. One adult male was caught on November 25, 1902 in Primorye near Sidemi Yankovsky, who supposedly saw two more birds there. This sea eagle is now usually considered a subspecies of the Pacific eagle, but most likely it is a color variation, perhaps localized in North Korea, but not a geographic shape, or at least not a species. In total, 18 specimens of these black eagles were caught (Austin, 1948).

Literature:
1. Illustrated encyclopedia. Fascinating world of birds: habitats and nesting places, seasonal movements, features of command. V. Beychek, K. Shtastny. Moscow, 1999
2. Birds of open and near-water areas of the USSR. R.L. Boehme, A.A. Kuznetsov. Moscow, 1983
3. Red Data Book of Kamchatka. Volume 1. Animals. - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Kamch. print yard. Book publishing house, 2006 .-- 272 p.
4. Translation www.zooclub.ru

In the forests located in the lower reaches of rivers, on rocky sea coasts and the shores of large Far Eastern Kamchatka and Sakhalin lakes, you can often meet a mighty majestic bird - the Steller's sea or Pacific eagle and hear the loud sound of its unique low scream “ra-ra-ra-rau-rau ". The Steller's sea eagle is also called the Steller's eagle in honor of Georg Wilhelm Steller, one of the members of the Bering expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

Eagle habitat

Seaside predators, eagles, look out for their prey from the tops of tall trees or rocks. Often they hunt, circling high above the water surface or snatching fish right out of the water with their claws, while standing on sandbanks. Naked, tarsus-free and spiny-covered toes help hold slippery prey.

The Steller's sea eagle lives only in the Far East of Russia. If in Kamchatka it is found all year round, then it spends winter on the Kuril Islands, Primorye, Sakhalin, as well as in China, Korea and Japan. The main thing for these birds is the presence of reservoirs with fish - they are especially attracted by salmon.
The weight of this one of the largest predators, the “motley sea eagle,” as it is called in Primorye, reaches 8 kg, its length is 1.05 m, and its wingspan is 2.4 m.
With a disproportionately huge, bright yellow beak and monstrous claws, the Steller's sea eagle is able to cope even with a deer and a ram. However, the purpose of the beak and claws is to catch and “butcher” salmon. Another white-tailed eagle lives in

Breeding eagles

Until the age of one year, having the same dark brown plumage with a white base, eagles acquire their beautiful attire by the age of three. The snow-white epaulettes-feathers on the shoulders that appeared in adult birds are in sharp contrast to the dark body.

The formation of mating pairs in eagles begins at the age of four, when they begin to build ritual nests in the autumn. Eagles usually choose the dead top of a large tree or the top of grassy cliffs to locate their nests. Constructed of large, dry and heavy branches, lined with last year's leaves and stalks of cereals, decorated with a kind of "border" of thin green larch branches, their nests are huge.
Undergoing annual repairs, nests gradually increase in size and often reach three meters in diameter and two in height.

Reproduction in eagles begins no earlier than seven years of age. Usually in April - May they lay a maximum of three slightly greenish eggs. In June, chicks hatch, receiving three meals a day in the form of a fish up to 30 cm long, which the parents hunt. It often happens that the masonry cannot be protected from sable, ermine, black as soot, crows. It happens that already hatched chicks die due to falling from the nest, diseases, it often happens that the older ones kill the younger ones.

Eagle feeding

Adult eagles feed mainly on fish; in the Lower Amur region, their food is carp, crucian carp, catfish, killer whale, whitefish, chum salmon and pike.
In winter, in Primorye, they are attracted by the waste of fur farms, meat processing plants, dumps of cattle burial grounds. But, nevertheless, they can attack wood grouses, willow grouses, gulls. Huge birds also do not disdain mammals: hares, arctic foxes, ermines, sables, as well as marine invertebrates.

Many individuals of sea eagles do not fly to the southern Primorye, Korea and Japan for wintering, but hibernate near large spawning grounds, where the “sleeping” chum salmon and pink salmon are carried by the river current to the ice-free polynyas. But if in frosty weather the ice holes are tightened, the eagles die of hunger. In addition, brown bears destroy them, poachers shoot them.

Squad Falconiformes - Falconiformes

Family Hawk - Accipitridae

1 - nesting area

Status. Category 2. A rare, narrow-range species, endemic to the Far East. In Kamchatka, it is a nesting, wintering, partially migratory species with a tendency to a slow decline in numbers, and the Kamchatka population is one of the key species in the range.

Spreading. The nesting area is located within the boundaries of the area of ​​distribution of spawning grounds for Pacific salmon and includes the entire Kamchatka Peninsula (from Pavel Bay in the Koryak Highlands and the lower Penzhina), Onekotan Island in the Kuril Islands, the continental Okhotsk coast south to the lower Amur, Sakhalin and Shantarskie wa (1). Winters in Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, partly in the Khabarovsk Territory, Sakhalin, Primorye, as well as in Japan, China and Korea (1). On the Kamchatka Peninsula it is found all year round and everywhere, with the exception of the highest mountainous regions. In the continental part of the region, it inhabits only the coastal strip (2). In winter, it keeps within the boundaries of the range throughout Kamchatka, but a significant part of the birds migrate from the northern regions to the southern part of the peninsula (birds from the Magadan coast can fly to Kamchatka in the winter) or outside Kamchatka to the Kuril Islands and Hokkaido (3-5) ; in the spring, birds wintering on the Japanese Islands reach Kamchatka by different routes: along the Kuril Islands and across the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

External appearance. The largest bird of prey in the fauna of Kamchatka: the body length of the male is 88 cm, of the female is 102 cm, the wingspan is 200–245 cm, the record is 287 cm. The main signs of an adult plumage appear at the age of 4–5 years, but the final outfit is put on only at 8–10 years. The general coloration is black-brown with large white spots on the wings. In addition, a white tail, long and sharply wedge-shaped in shape, a white forehead and peculiar white "trousers" (shin feathers) are characteristic. Ocher and whitish streaks on the head and neck give birds (especially old ones) a "gray" appearance. The eyes are brown, the paws are yellow. The beak is unusually massive, convex, bright yellow or orange, clearly visible from a distance. Juveniles in transitional plumage are brown and speckled, but their beak, which is just as massive and yellow, makes it possible to reliably distinguish birds of this species even at a young age.

Habitat and lifestyle. Inhabits tall forests and rocky seaside (2). Prefers forests in the lower reaches of rivers, along the banks of estuaries and large lakes and along the sea coast. It nests on rocky cliffs, on islands and kekura (willingly settles in bird colonies), sometimes on rocks in river valleys. Along the mountainous eastern coast of Kamchatka, the population of the species is concentrated mainly in the coastal strip 8–12 km wide, and along the low-lying western one - 60–80 km wide, the maximum distance from the sea here is 110 km (2). The coastal strip accounts for at least 90% of the birds of the Kamchatka population. In the river basin Kamchatka in the inner regions of the peninsula (at a distance of up to 200 km from the sea), where the white-tailed eagle mainly lives, there are very few Stellers (6). Massive, heavy nests of thick branches are built on trees (birch, larch, poplar, chozenia, alder) at a height of 6–11 m or on the upper surface of rocks, often overgrown with grass, at a height of 5 to 120 m (usually no higher than 50 m ). The same nest is used for at least up to 8 and even 15 years in a row, but on average for 5–6 years, and sometimes it refurbishes the buildings left long ago. In stable conditions, it is distinguished by high territorial conservatism: in the Kronotsky Reserve during 1977-1982. 65.2% of the nests actually remained in their places, since the eagles either settled them annually, or built new ones side by side (70–900, on average 460 m) with the old ones (7). It is not uncommon for one pair to have 2 nests, which it occupies from time to time. Repaired annually, the nests grow in size and reach 3 m in diameter, 2 m in height and hundreds of kilograms of weight. In clutch 1–3, usually 2, on average 1.94 eggs, their incubation lasts 34–36 days (1, 2, 7). In captivity, lays up to 5 eggs (8). Dead clutches are sometimes renewed if the egg disappears at the beginning of oviposition or incubation. Life expectancy in nature is unknown, in captivity, at least 44 years. Mating pairs are formed at the age of more than 4 years, at which time eagles can build a ritual nest in the fall, in which, however, they do not nest. Reproduction begins at the age of no earlier than 7 years (8). Oviposition occurs in April and May in snowy conditions. Chicks stay in the nest for 2–2.5 months and hatch in late July and August, rarely in September. Until mid-October, broods are kept 2–3 km from the nesting site (3). Due to the death of nests, clutches and chicks, breeding success is even 30–70%. 1–2 juveniles leave the nest, on average 0.8–0.9 individuals. Young birds make up 18.3–35.2, on average 25.5% of the population (10). In non-nesting time, it lives mainly on the sea coast and on reservoirs where there are fish. The presence of reservoirs with available fish, primarily salmonids, is a decisive factor in the placement of birds of this species (6). Such reservoirs define a kind of framework for the internal area. Seasonal migrations, singly and in scattered groups, take place in spring from late March to mid-May, and in autumn at the end of October and November. It feeds on a variety of foods (birds, mammals, marine invertebrates, carrion, sea waste), but the main part of the diet is fish, primarily salmonids (2). With the beginning of the salmonids' spawning movement, most Steller's sea eagles eat them, and not only live fish, but also dead, spawned fish, and often prefers it (2). The feeding spectrum of different pairs can differ markedly depending on the location of the nesting site (on the seashore or far from it), as well as depending on the skill (hunting experience) of specific birds. In eagles nesting near rookeries, the proportion of salmonids in the diet of chicks may turn out to be negligible (11). Nevertheless, in general, Steller's sea eagles are among the most important consumers of salmon in Kamchatka. Among birds, they occupy a key place in the ecosystems of salmon spawning grounds. In winter, in congregations of birds (for example, on Lake Kuril'skoe), it is Steller's sea eagles that dominate in trophic relationships with sockeye salmon, being practically the only bird species that catches live fish and other birds feed on the remains of their food (12, 13).

Number and limiting factors. The world population numbers about 7.5 thousand individuals, of which 5.6 thousand are conditionally adult birds (14). The Kamchatka population has 1200–1500 pairs and at least 1500 immature birds (1). On the sea coast, in suitable places, one pair lives for every 2.5–8 km, and in the valleys of large rivers, in places, 2–3 nests are located 0.8–1.5 km from one another. The accumulation of nests of large birds of prey (including 6–8 nests of the Steller's sea eagle) is located in the lower reaches of the river. Kamchatka at the Klyuchi - Khapitsa section. In winter, 3.6–4.2 thousand individuals remain in Kamchatka (15). Taking into account the results of winter counts of Steller's sea eagles in the Japanese Islands (16), it is easy to see that up to 70–80% of the world population of the species winter together in Kamchatka and Hokkaido (1). The number and distribution of birds during non-nesting times and especially in winter are variable from year to year and during the season. Steller's sea eagles quickly accumulate in places rich in food, and just as quickly disperse with the depletion of food reserves or a change in the conditions of their availability (6). The largest winter accumulation is observed almost every year in the basin of the lake. Kuril, since the mid-1980s. the stocks of "Kuril" sockeye salmon increased and the periods of its spawning became prolonged. Usually 200–300 Steller's sea eagles gather here for the winter, in peak seasons (1989–1991) there were up to 750 individuals (13, 17). Temporary accumulations of 50–300 birds often appear in autumn and winter in different water bodies of the peninsula, as soon as available fish appear there (13, 18). The Steller's sea eagle is a highly biologically vulnerable species. Bulky, heavy nests, which increase in weight in rain and heavy snow, collapse or fall as a result of poor attachment. Often the supporting branches of trees do not stand up; c, for example, the proportion of nests with cracked supporting branches reaches 46% (7). Clutches die from predators (sable and black crow), hypothermia, if disturbed adult birds leave the nest for a long time. Chicks sometimes fall out of the nest, die from diseases (there is a known case of conjunctivitis caused by volcanic ash), in addition, due to kainism, when older chicks kill younger ones. The breeding success of a particular pair also depends on the quality of the nesting site and the hunting experience of birds (1). In ordinary years, the realization of the reproductive potential of the population is at least 20–30%. In unfavorable seasons, especially if they begin with a harsh wintering, the reproductive potential of the population turns out to be almost unrealized, accounting for only 6–9% of the possible (9). If such seasons are repeated or anthropogenic factors intensify, the state of the population rapidly deteriorates. In Kamchatka, eagles have ceased to nest near settlements. Reduction of their nesting sites on the coast of Avachinsky Bay. associated with the decline in the stocks of marine fish species due to excessive coastal fishing by small vessels and growing concern from tourists (19). Due to the reduction in salmon stocks in the river. Kamchatka is threatened by a unique group of nests of eagles and other large birds of prey in the Klyuchi - Khapitsa area. A significant factor negatively affecting the dynamics of the Kamchatka population is the conflict between Steller's sea eagles (and) and hunters, who shoot and catch the eagles in order to avoid these birds from poisoning the skins of commercial fur animals in traps (20). For this reason, dozens of individuals die every year (21). In the north of Kamchatka, eagles are shot by reindeer herders, who believe that these birds kill (injure) the reindeer. On rivers close to highways and settlements, anxiety factor progresses, as a result of which parents often leave nests, and clutches and downy chicks die from hypothermia and predation by black crows. The consumption of deer killed by hunters for wintering in Japan by eagles, which leads to lead poisoning of birds, raises concerns (22).

Adopted and necessary security measures. It is listed in the Red Data Books of IUCN-2004, Asia, the Russian Federation and the North of the Far East of Russia, Appendix 2 of CITES, Appendix 1 of the Bonn Convention, Appendices of bilateral agreements concluded by Russia with the USA, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the DPRK on the protection of migratory birds. On (, and others) is about 15-17% of the nesting birds of the Kamchatka population and the largest wintering on the lake. Kuril. Russia and Japan cooperate on research and monitoring issues. Monitoring of the population should be resumed, following the example of how it was done in the 1980s. (7). A solution to a conflict situation in relations with hunters is possible on the way of implementing a program to compensate hunters for the cost of furs; the experience of such measures gave positive results (20). It is necessary to provide for the development of special rules for visiting nesting sites and flocks of eagles for tourists; as it turned out, they have become a popular tourist attraction, but to please their clients, firms sometimes do not follow the simplest rules of behavior near birds, which leads to the death of nests, chicks and scaring away flocks.

Sources of information: 1. Lobkov, 2001b. 2. Lobkov, Neifeldt, 1986. 3. Meyburg, Lobkov, 1994. 4. McGrady et al., 2000. 5. Ueta et al., 2000. 6. Lobkov, 1978b. 7. Lobkov, 19906. 8. Spitsyn et al., Unpublished. data. 9. Lobkov, 1991. 10. Lobkov, 1989a. 11. Lobkov, unpublished. data. 12. Ladygin, 2000. 13. Lobkov, 2002c. 14. Lobkov, 1988c. 15. Lobkov et al., 1988. 16. Nakagawa et al., 1987. 17. Ladygin et al., 1991. 18. Ostroumov, 1967. 19. Lobkov, 2002a. 20. Lobkov, 1990a. 21. Gordienko, Nechitaylov, 2000.22. Kurosawa, 2000.

Compiled by: Lobkov E.G.

The Steller's sea eagle is the largest feathered predator of the northern hemisphere and one of the smartest birds on the planet. He remembers all his chicks and plans the hunt with the scrupulousness of a good economist. For the salmon peacefully swimming along the coast of Kamchatka, the eagle diving from a height is Death itself with a sharp yellow beak. A beak that is not only feared by salmon. The reduction of biodiversity on Earth is a textbook topic, if not a hackneyed one. In the 18th century, on the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, the last dodo disappeared - a bird of the dove-like order; since the beginning of the 20th century, moa - a herbivorous bird that looks like a plump ostrich - has ceased to be found in New Zealand; in the 21st century, several species of birds are deleted from taxonomy reference books every year. However, we are not talking about the need to protect the Steller's sea eagles, of which there are about seven thousand individuals left in the whole world. These birds are worthy of conversation, regardless of the number - eagles would be admired, even if there were no less of them than crows. It is more interesting to tell why these yellow-billed fighter planes are admired by scientists, samurai and entire nations.

The impressive weight of the eagle limits the active flapping flight time: no more than 25-28 minutes per day.

The genus eagles of the hawk family includes eight species. Three of the most famous and largest: bald (symbol of the United States of America), white-shouldered and white-tailed eagle. The largest is the Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus). There are also more massive birds of prey in the northern hemisphere, but all of them are scavengers, while the eagle obtains its food for the most part by active hunting. The Steller's sea eagle is a Russian endemic: it is found only on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, Kamchatka and Sakhalin, and flies to the Japanese islands for the winter. The eagle inhabits and nests on a narrow, one and a half to two kilometers wide, coastal strip - closer to the sea, which means closer to food. The fact is that this predator obtains food in a rather peculiar way. The impressive weight (from seven to nine kilograms) limits the time of an active flapping flight: no more than 25-28 minutes a day, but the eagle can glide as long as it wants. “It is clear why with this approach to business it is necessary to settle near the sea: it should be no more than twenty minutes before the“ self-service restaurant ”,” says Vladimir Masterov, a researcher at the Department of Vertebrate Zoology of the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University. The menu has been tested for generations: salmon, newborn helpless seal pups that lie on snow-white ice floes, like a ready-made dinner on plates, or other goodies like rodents. If we consider Kamchatka (Sakhalin or the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk) as a bird country, then it can be divided into areas cut parallel to the coastline. Each region is ruled by its own bird: near the coast, as it was said, the Steller's sea eagle lives, further the white-tailed eagle lives, which is lighter and, accordingly, able to spend more time in active flight, the dexterous osprey is even farther from the coast. The osprey is a serious competitor to the eagles. She is an excellent fisherman and, thanks to her excellent maneuverability, can fall vertically downward like a stone at any point in the flight - with such an unexpected attack, the fish has no chance. As for the eagle, it is too heavy for such a dive, therefore, aiming at its prey, it flies in a parabola, gliding and turning over in the air like a falling leaf. The type of flight in the eagle is airplane (there is also a helicopter flight, for example, in hummingbirds), and its method of accelerated descent is called the “dry leaf method”. Illegitimate children. The Steller's sea eagle is the so-called K-strategist. Humans, like all mammals, are also K-strategists: they live long and reproduce slowly. In nature, the eagle lives no more than 18-23 years. However, these figures are rather approximate, because the age of birds can be established only by observing a separate individual from the moment of hatching from an egg or by marking chicks. To find out how old a mammal was, just take any bone and count the number of rings - every year the periosteum lays a new outer layer. Birds have hollow bones - when a new outer layer is formed, one inner layer is destroyed. This is necessary to lighten the skeleton, but it is impossible to determine the age of a dead bird from its skeleton. The record in captivity belongs to the Steller's sea eagle from the Sapporo reserve on the island of Hokkaido - he lived for 54 years. At six or seven years old, eagles reach puberty and begin to look for their other half, and if two loneliness meet, then, as a rule, they do not part all their lives. Most eagles are monogamous and conservative. First of all, having chosen a favorable place, the young couple builds a nest; the nest has been twisted by common efforts for more than one year. After the lovers have got their own home, they think about children. Every year two or three babies appear in the nest. Unfortunately, only 85 percent of chicks survive to adulthood. Basically, the nests are ruined by connecting rod bears, and they do this for some unknown reason - it is energetically unprofitable for large bears to hunt small, low-calorie eagles. Impudent crows also eat chicks, and it happens that sables too. Eaglets often die of hunger: the same crows not only eat babies, but also take away prey from adult birds. Even such an imposing predator as an eagle, carrying a weighty salmon in its beak for a long-awaited family dinner, retreats in front of a flock of crows, unceremoniously grabbing it by the feathers. Sometimes betrayal happens among the eagles. DNA analysis of chicks from different nests revealed family ties between them, and sometimes children from two dads were in the same nest. It turns out that both husbands and wives go “to the left”. Rarely, but it happens that the three eagles live - a Swedish family. In any case, regardless of whether it is their own or someone else's, the eagles will recognize the reared chicks all their lives. A lighthouse for the Nivkh, a trophy for the samurai. First of all, the eagle is distinguished from other birds by its color - bright, elegant, noticeable from afar to both humans and birds. The tribes of the Nivkhs living on Sakhalin and on the small islands off the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk - sea spits - trusted yellow-billed Steller's eagles no less than lighthouses: a bright beak is visible even in the fog, it indicates to the traveler the proximity of land. Eagles themselves need bright plumage to save energy. Each bird has its own territory; fellow tribesmen, having noticed a yellow-white-black spot, understand: the place is occupied, and try to look for other hunting grounds. In the olden days, Japanese samurai They hunted Steller's sea eagles to decorate their arrows with the tail feathers of a noble bird. Now hunting is officially prohibited, but the pursuit of beauty cannot be stopped by any prohibitions, and the shadow business of catching birds for the sake of rare feathers flourishes in Japan today. At the very beginning of our century, a sad incident took place on the island of Hokkaido: the number of sea eagles declined sharply. And this happened for the following reason. The island's authorities strongly encouraged the hunt for roe deer and deer, the destroyers of village gardens. They shot deer with lead bullets: the hunters left the carcasses of the killed animals in the forest, in the tradition of Japanese hunting. Of course, the eagle is not a scavenger, but who would refuse fresh deer or roe deer meat, so accessible and so alluring. The eagle begins to tear apart the deer in the area of ​​the wound - where there are most fragments of bullets and buckshot. The result of a hearty meal is heavy metal poisoning and early death. Subsequently, the lead bullets were replaced by steel ones, but the number of birds in Hokkaido has not returned to its previous level. “Many of my colleagues,” sighs Vladimir sadly, “believe that the eagle is doomed, like the ancient pterodactyls.” The flying lizards disappeared without our help. It would be great if we did not rush the beautiful eagles into oblivion.