This bird is called differently: and the Steller's sea eagle, and the grayish, and the sea eagle, but more widely known to ornithologists under the name of the white-tailed. Once these raptors were found everywhere near rivers and large bodies of water, in quiet, uninhabited places, in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests.
Their habitat is huge: from the Arctic to the southern deserts. In the steppes, these predators preferred swamps. In Ukraine, grayish shades were observed in the Danube, Dnieper and Dniester floodplains back in the 50s of the last century, until the area was transformed beyond recognition as a result of the construction of hydroelectric power stations and reservoirs.
Now the white-tailed eagle is listed in the International Red Book, as well as the national Red Books of many states. But even the protection of the law can do little to help beautiful birds survive: the fact is that for nesting these feathered non-humans choose wild places - dense impenetrable thickets near the banks of rivers or lakes. And such places on our planet are becoming less and less, so the mere prohibition of hunting is unlikely to be a salvation for this endangered species. In our time, the bird is still found everywhere only on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, on Lake Baikal, in the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov. In other regions, it is rarely seen, except in wildlife sanctuaries and bird sanctuaries (Northern Black Sea Coast, Askania-Nova, and others).
But in countries where nature conservation is paramount, these feathered predators can still be found quite often. In the United States, this species is particularly famous. After all, this bird flaunts on … the national emblem of the country. In the arms of many countries there are heraldic birds (for example, an eagle in Russia, or a kiwi in New Zealand), but a white-tailed eagle is the very first "national" bird in the world. She adorned the coat of arms of the United States of America in 1782. By the way, six species of eagles live in North America at once, but it was the white-tailed eagle that was recognized as the most worthy to position the country.
Our national pride can be amused by the fact that the Russian white-tailed eagle is much larger than its overseas counterpart. If the American and Canadian representatives have a body length of about 75 cm for males and one meter for females, a wingspan of one and a half meters and a weight of about 4 kilograms, then our birds have one wingspan of what it costs - it can be up to two and a half meters, and weight - from four to seven kilograms. Larger in our lands can only be a mountain golden eagle.
To imagine what this feathered handsome man looks like, it’s not enough just to look at the coat of arms of the USA - there the eagle is depicted stylized. But the first impression is not deceiving: indeed, the bird is more likely to resemble a griffin than an eagle, because of the disproportionately large beak on its small head and elongated neck, on which a white napkin is tied. The adult white-tailed eagle has a dark brown back, a lighter abdomen and neck, yellow legs and beak, amber eyes and black-brown fly feathers. The main sign of the species is a snow-white tail, which in young animals can be marbled or light brown in color. Also an indicator of the young age of the bird is a dark beak and gray or light yellow paws. Both sexes have the same color.
In the tundra and northern forests, the white-tailed eagle appears only in the spring, flying south in the fall, and in southern Ukraine it can lead a sedentary lifestyle. Birds make a huge (up to two meters in diameter!) Nest on a very high and powerful tree near the reservoir. In summer, they prey on fish, snatching it out of the water with claws, however, there are frequent cases when predators dive deep into it. Also their prey becomes waterfowl - ducks, eiders. In winter, if the pond is covered with ice, the eagles watch for marmots, ground squirrels and can even defeat the hare. But do not disdain carrion. In their nest there are usually two chicks, which become able to fly by August. A family pair of birds keeps together for several years and returns to its nest, in every way strengthening and expanding it.
