Aviary asks Pittsburgh residents for help in finding Kodiak, the missing Steller’s sea eagle

The National Aviary in Pittsburgh’s North Side is asking the public to help them find Kodiak, the Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from his outdoor enclosure on Saturday.

The aviary has been closed since Saturday as groups of staff and volunteers fan out across Pittsburgh’s North Side and nearby communities to find and capture the large raptor that is almost twice the size of a bald eagle.

In the last several days, the aviary has received numerous tips in the North Side and the nearby Riverview area, said Cheryl Tracy, executive director of the National Aviary.

“We believe that he is close to home,” she said during a press conference at the aviary on Tuesday.

Tracy praised the community for reporting sightings of Kody.

“The sightings that the community has had of Kody have been extremely helpful in our efforts,” she said.

The Steller’s fish eagle is hard to miss as it is the largest bird in the local landscape. The dark-colored raptor, with males standing close to three feet high, has a wingspan of almost six feet, said Pilar Fish, the aviary’s senior director of avian medicine.

The massive yellow beak stands out as well as the large white patches on its shoulders and a white tail, she said.

The bird is not expected to be soaring high in the sky like bald eagles and turkey vultures in the area, Fish said. Kody is likely to take short flights from tree to tree and perch.

If someone sees Kody, they should not approach him or make loud noises or sudden movements that would startle the bird and cause it to fly away, Fish cautioned.

The eagle is alert, cautious, and can be startled, she said.

Although Kody, who is 16 years old, has lived his entire life in captivity, he is capable of catching his food, particularly rodents, which are a part of his diet at the aviary, Fish said.

Tracy urged the public to continue to look for the bird and report sightings as soon as possible to 412-323-7235.

Cold weather should not impact him as Steller’s eagles are from Russia, she said.

The bird is in excellent condition and there are no health concerns for him, Tracy said.

Kody does not have a microchip for identification, according to Aviary officials.

The aviary was closed on Tuesday because of search efforts for Kody, said Carly Morgan, director of the marketing for the aviary. Aviary staff will make decisions daily on when it will open, she said. Visitors should call and check the aviary’s website for details.