Steller’s Sea Eagles are in the top five most fierce diurnal birds on Earth, which is why they are such formidable hunters, tracking prey since the age of the dinosaurs. They have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, never needing to evolve. During my annual Hokkaido photo tour, when I hear the call of the Steller’s Sea Eagle, I close my eyes and give thanks for once again hearing the call that has echoed unchanged since before we humans evidently walked upright. Wow, that sure is quite the achievement, and I would hate to run into a prehistoric cousin of the Steller’s Sea Eagle, such as the Quetzalcoatlus Northropi that were flying a little further south than the Steller’s Sea Eagle. The Quetzalcoatlus Northropi had a wingspan of up to 13.7 meters (45 ft) and weighed between 200 - 260 kg (440 - 570 lbs.), and apparently, they may have lived inland and eaten meat. While conducting research, I discovered that this prehistoric raptor presumably ate unprotected young dinosaurs as a snack. I’m sorry to quell your prehistoric raptor dreams of flight, but it has not been proven that this bird at its most massive size could fly. They were definitely contemporaries of the Steller’s Sea Eagle. By comparison, the Steller’s Sea Eagles have a tiny wingspan of up to 250 cm (8 - 9 ft), but one distinction the Steller’s have is that they are not extinct, a living prehistoric relic. One time while on assignment in a chopper photographing volcanic complexes between Japan and Russia, I caught sight of what I initially thought was a Thunderbird or Quetzalcoatlus Northropi, but it turned out to be the most enormous Steller’s Sea Eagle I had ever laid eyes on. The wingspan could have been between 10 - 12 feet, but, unfortunately, the Steller’s Sea Eagle wouldn’t land so that I could break out my measuring tape, and we couldn’t have shared some of its freshly caught fish. The rice, wasabi, salmon, and soy sauce for our sashimi lunch in the chopper would have been an excellent complement to the bounty of fresh fish the Steller’s Sea Eagle had already caught, but the prehistoric dinosaur relic had a fully booked itinerary, I imagine. You know places to be, prey to find and hunt. Excuse the pun!
The Steller's Sea Eagle prefers a diet of trout, salmon, or other fish but will eat sea lions or land animals when fishing is slow. When the fishing is slow, there have been reports of house pets gone missing, and young children are always attended to when outside.