A RARE species of eagle that has thrilled bird lovers and baffled scientists since arriving in Maine, the U.S. last month might not be in a hurry to leave.

The Steller’s sea eagle arrived in Maine in late December after a brief stop in Massachusetts more than a month ago. It has stuck to Maine’s middle coast, eating fish and ducks and attracting hundreds of birdwatchers from all over the world.

The sea eagle numbers only a few thousand worldwide and is native to northeastern Asia, including Russia and Japan, and has wingspans of up to 8 feet (2.4 meters). The bird is far off course, and it’s still unclear why it came here at all, said Doug Hitchcox, staff naturalist at Maine Audubon.

But the bird doesn’t appear to be in any kind of danger, Hitchcox said. It has an ample food supply and is living in habitat that is similar enough to its native range, he said. It’s possible it could eventually return to its home range, but for now it’s comfortable in Maine, Hitchcox said.

“This one is so far off course, it’s just purely speculation to say it could go back and then return. There is no reason it couldn’t make its way back to Japan or Russia,” he said. “It seems to be doing OK.”

It’s not uncommon for vagrant bird species to return year after year to places far from their typical range. A single red-billed tropicbird, a species commonly seen in the Caribbean and tropical oceans, has been seen off Maine in the summer for years. Birders affectionately call it “Troppy.” (SD-Agencies)