Incredibly rare eagle with 8foot wingspan spotted in US over 5,000 miles from home

WILDLIFE authorities reported an incredibly rare sighting of a Steller’s sea eagle in Massachusetts last week. The eagle, which was perched on a tree branch alongside the Taunton River, is almost 8,000 km (5,000 miles) away from its native Asia, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. This particular type of sea eagle […]

WILDLIFE authorities reported an incredibly rare sighting of a Steller’s sea eagle in Massachusetts last week.

The eagle, which was perched on a tree branch alongside the Taunton River, is almost 8,000 km (5,000 miles) away from its native Asia, according to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

This particular type of sea eagle can weigh up to 20 pounds and features a wingspan of up to 8 feet, making it one of the largest raptors in the world.

Stellar’s sea eagles, classified as Haliaeetus pelagicus, are fairly easy to spot as they are equipped with a bright orange beak, dark body, and unique white-edged wings.

These range birds usually call the Kamchatka Peninsula in far eastern Russia home but sometimes can be found roaming over Japan, China, and Korea.

There are approximately 5,000 of these magnificent creatures left in the world, including this one, according to estimates.

This specific sea eagle was likely the same one found flying around parts of eastern Canada last month.

It might also be the same bird that was seen roaming over Alaska in the summer of 2020, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

One Stellar sea eagle was also seen in Texas, but researchers are not positive if it was this same bird.

“It’s almost as far away from your origin as you can be,” Andrew Farnsworth, a senior researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology said on the bird’s migration.

“It’s mind-boggling,” he added.

While very rare, it’s not unheard of for winged creatures to stray away from their home.

The practice is known as vagrancy and may happen because of genetics and/or environmental changes.

Farnsworth noted that while the bird does not appear to be searching for its own kind, it is likely taking cues from the North American-native bald eagle.

“It’s clearly associated with bald eagles, which are closely related, probably because of their similarities in behavior and ecology and diet among other things,” he said.

Farnsworth further stated that the bird’s chances of survival in North America are “good.”

REUTERS

There are only about 5,000 of these eagles left on Earth[/caption]

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