UK’s largest bird of prey returns to England for first time in 240 years
Britain’s largest bird of prey has returned to the English skies for the first time in 240 years. White-tailed eagles, which have a wing span up to 2.5 metres, were once a common sight across southern England until the 18th century when they were wiped out by illegal killing.
They were last recorded in England in 1780 at Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight, before becoming extinct in the whole of the UK in 1918 when the final bird was shot on the Scottish Shetland Islands.
European populations of the sea eagle also suffered from heavy persecution, which led to significant declines and extinction in several countries, according to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
But thanks to Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation this lost species is making a comeback. Last summer, six young white-tailed eagles were released on the Isle of Wight as part of a five-year project to restore the species to southern England.
And it’s back!
- Trackers worn by the eagles show they are exploring widely. One, known as G274, made a four-day 427km trip along south-west England before returning to the island.
The birds were collected from the wild in Scotland, where the species was reintroduced in the 1970s under a similar scheme, before they were brought to the island. They have been fitted with GPS trackers and the team behind the programme have been tracking four of the young birds as they make their first trips.
The satellite data has given the team fascinating insights into the behaviour of the birds, who were largely sedentary over winter but have begun to explore further afield, including Norfolk, Kent and Somerset. The Independent
