Steller's Sea Eagle

( Originally Published Early 1900's )

(Thalassoaėtus Pelagicus), which occurs in Kamchatka in summer and Japan in winter, is another giant species which is referred by some to the preceding genus, and by others placed in a genus by itself, differing, among other characters, hi having a wedge-shaped tail of fourteen instead of twelve feathers and' an enormous bill. The plumage of the adult is brownish throughout, with the wing-coverts, rump, tail, and tail-coverts pure white, while the young are nearly brown throughout, only the tail being white. The full-grown bird is about forty-one inches long. The Korean Sea Eagle (T. Branicki), a native mainly of Korea, is also a very large bird. It is a uniform slaty black, without white on any part of the body, and in correspondence with its gigantic size has a very loud, penetrating cry.