An elderly steller's sea eagle migrates 3000 kilometers to Japan

A female Steller's sea eagle, nicknamed "Grandmother," travels from the Okhotsk Sea coast in Russia to Nagahama City in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, for the winter.

The bird has visited the area for 29 consecutive seasons as of last winter. Local bird lovers, including 84-year-old Akifumi Shiraiwa, gather to photograph the bird, which has a wingspan of approximately 2.5 meters. The Kohoku Bird Center describes the repeated migration of a single bird over such a long period as a miracle.

Researchers from the Kohoku Bird Center and Kyoto University began a joint study in October to confirm the bird's sex using DNA extracted from feathers. The eagle is estimated to be at least in its mid-30s.