Hokkaido Photo Tour - The Endemic White-tailed Eagles

White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) are always part of my annual Hokkaido Photo Tour/workshop, and they share the same genus as the Steller’s Sea Eagle, which is thought to extend as far back as the Oligocene epoch, or about 30 million years ago. These beautiful majestic raptors are known as the fourth largest eagle in the world; they are the only species known to be more massive in bulk than the Steller’s Sea Eagle, the Harpy Eagle, and the Philippine Eagle. These eagles measure from 65-95 cm in length with a wingspan of 170 cm to 260 cm (5ft 5 to 8ft 5 inches). It is said this raptor has the largest wingspan of any living eagle. The male and female are similar in coloring and appearance, the correct way to tell them apart is by tarsus width and depth and bill depth, but this is next to impossible unless they are captive or captured then released with tracking devices on their legs. I usually tell them apart by their size, in which females are generally about 30% heavier and about 15% greater in linear dimensions.