BOISE, Idaho — Zoo Boise posted a picture on Facebook Wednesday welcoming two Steller's sea eagles to the zoo. The Steller's sea eagle is the largest of all sea eagles, with a wingspan of up to eight feet. They are also related to bald eagles, but are larger. The Steller's sea eagle is the rarest bird-of-prey, found in remote regions of Russia and Japan.
The new eagles are named Ursula and Vlad the Impaler. Ursula is a 14-year-old female and she was born at the Cincinnati Zoo. Vlad is a 12-year-old male born at the Vogelpark Avifauna in the Netherlands. Both eagles are coming to Zoo Boise from the Denver Zoo. They have been matched as part of the The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, a conservation program that is aimed at maintaining a healthy and genetically diverse population for these animals in order to increase their numbers.
Ursula and Vlad are currently living in the exhibit closest to the Zoo Boise Education Building while their permanent exhibit is being renovated. Zoo Boise Animal Care staff say they are getting along very well and they stay next to each other on the same perches almost all the time.
The Steller's sea eagle has a very unique call. Zoo Boise provided links to both the Steller's sea eagle call and the Bald Eagle calls. See if you can tell the difference!
- Steller's Sea Eagle Calls - https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Haliaeetus-pelagicus
- Bald Eagle Calls - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/sounds
