STELLER'S SEA EAGLE
Vladimir Borisovich Masterov, Michael S Romanov, Richard Sale
twarda okładka
Steller’s Sea Eagle is a remarkable bird. Though familiar in summer to native peoples of the Russian Far East, of the Aleutian Islands and even south-west Alaska, and in winter to those in northern Japan, it was unknown to western ornithologists until the late 18th century. Then, on Vitus Bering’s second journey to discover if Russia and North America were land-linked, it was described by the expedition’s German doctor/naturalist Georg Steller. Standing a metre tall, with a wingspan sometimes approaching 3 m and weighing as much as 9 kg, it is arguably the largest eagle in the world (and certainly one of the biggest three or four.) It also has, without doubt, the most massive bill of any eagle.
The eagle’s late discovery to western science was due to its remote range. Breeding eagles are confined to the Bering Sea coasts of southern Kamchatka and to northern and western coasts of the Sea of Okhotsk. In winter the eagles are largely confined to the southern Kuril Islands and Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido. In winter, climate and geography mean the Sea of Okhotsk defies its position (at about the same latitude as France’s Mediterranean coast) and freezes, Steller’s Sea Eagles wintering on or close to the sea ice, a curiosity that has attracted bird lovers and photographers for many years.
Taking many years to mature, often producing only a single chick each year, and exposed to an incredibly harsh climate during the winter, the species was never abundant. The eagles now also have to contend with the exploration for fossil fuels in the Sea of Okhotsk, particularly on the island of Sakhalin (where the eagles additionally suffer predation by Brown Bears which climb their nesting trees to eat the nestlings). In recent years Russian researchers have worked hard, in conjunction with local oil companies, to reduce the threats from anthropogenic change and bear predation. However, the situation remains challenging, with evidence suggesting that throughout its range the Steller’s population is declining.
This book, the first on the species in English, studies its habitats, diet, breeding behaviour and migration, drawing together information not previously translated from Russian and other sources, to explore the biology of this magnificent eagle. This new book is a translation of an earlier Russian book written by Masterov and Romanov, but with significant changes. The most significant is a new chapter on Steller’s flight and a large number of new photos.
Contents
Introduction
1 General Characteristics: Discovery, Origins, Taxonomy, Plumage 13
2 Energy Balance: Ecological Energetics, Flight, Position in the Ecosystem 50
3 Hunting Methods and Diet 90
4 Distribution, Abundange and Migration 136
5 Habitats 156
6 Breeding Biology 190
7 Biology of the Chicks 206
8 Sakhalin Island and the Lower Amur Region 216
9 Reproduction 236
10 Modelling Population Dynamics 264
11 Genetic Diversity of the Sakhalin Population 282
12 Adverse Factors 290
13 Sea Eagle Protection Measures 312
14 Conclusions 332
Appendix 1 Age Related Changes in Plumage 336
Appendix 2 Diet across the Range 344
References 354
Index 380
Autor | Vladimir Borisovich Masterov, Michael S Romanov, Richard Sale |
Tytuł | STELLER'S SEA EAGLE |
Objętość | 384 strony |
Okładka | twarda |
Wymiary | |
Wydawnictwo | SNOWFINCH PUBLISHING |
Termin wydania | 2018 (listopad) |
Uwagi | 100+ kolorowych fotografii, rysunki, mapki |