A Steller's sea eagle, which is native to Asia, has been spotted in Massachusetts, giving bird watchers an early Christmas present.
The large sea eagles are native to the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia and can be seen in Japan, China, and Korea. This one has somehow made it to the river in Massachusetts, and is estimated to be around 5,000 individuals left.
Steller's sea eagles are among the heaviest eagles on the planet, with a weight of up to 20 pounds and a wingspan of up to 8 feet.
They have a bright orange beak and white-edged wings.
The bird that was spotted in eastern Canada last month is also the same bird that has been seen in Alaska since the summer of 2020.
We can't be certain if the Steller's sea eagle that was spotted in Texas was the same one, because its identifying marks weren't photographed.
Andrew Farnsworth, a senior researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, told the New York Times in November that it was almost as far away from your origin as you can be.
Steller's sea eagles are listed as vulnerable.
A sea eagle is in Korea. The public domain is Lim Yangmook/Wikimedia.
Birders have been able to identify it by the white markings on its wings, and we think it's safe to say they're pretty excited about its appearance near local rivers and coastlines, where it's likely hunting for salmon.
The bird was described on Nick Lund's website.
He wrote that it was an absolute dream to be standing in a random park in southern Massachusetts looking at a Russian monster.
Lund spotted the Steller's eagle next to the local bald eagles.
Look at how much larger it is than the Bald Eagles.
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The Birdist is on December 20, 2021.
How did this creature end up so far away from home? Vagrancy is when birds stray from their homeland.
Climate change or habitat loss can push them out of their natural range. Sometimes it is an internal navigation failure.
Alex Lees told NPR that it's unlikely that this individual will return to his home.
It may be doomed to wander in search of a mate, but the urge to find a mate may drive it to keep moving.
It is possible that this individual will find its way back, but the longer it stays, the less likely this is.
Lees and colleagues just published a paper in Current Biology showing that some vagrant birds may be pioneers of new habitats, setting up new migratory routes for their species.
We'd like to think this bird is still around. It's looking for a new place to call home.
