The return of White-tailed Eagles to the UK

The White-tailed Eagle is the largest UK bird of prey. It became extinct as a breeding species in the UK by 1916 due to illegal persecution and killing and the present population is descended from birds initially re-introduced to the island of Rhum on the west coast of Scotland in 1975.

The White-tailed Eagle remains a scarce UK breeding bird with the majority of the breeding population on the west coast of Scotland. However, further re-introduction programmes on the Scottish east coast, in Ireland and in England on the Isle of Wight mean that it is now possible to encounter one almost anywhere in the UK.

A 2020 estimate put the number of breeding pairs of White-tailed Eagles at 150. This does not include juveniles and non-breeding adults. Population growth models suggest that there could be over 200 breeding pairs by 2025.

I saw my first White-tailed Eagle in the UK in 1989 in Suffolk (presumably a bird from Europe) but from 1999 I have seen them in most years with most sightings being on Mull on the west coast of Scotland. My last sighting was in 2019 due to not visiting Scotland in recent years.

I have also seen White-tailed Eagles on many occasions in Norway and Finland.

The White-tailed Eagle has recently been featured in Wild Isles on the BBC.

Save Our Wild Isles - White-tailed Eagles

Photo: White-tailed Eagle at Sandfjord, Varanger peninsula, Troms og Finnmark, Norway

Photo: White-tailed Eagle at Kuntilampi, near Kuusamo, Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Finland

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