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White-tailed eagle in flight

©Amy Lewis

White-tailed eagle with chick

©Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

White-tailed eagle

The huge white-tailed eagle is our largest bird of prey. After being persecuted to extinction in the UK, it has been successfully reintroduced in Scotland and, more recently, to the Isle of Wight.

Scientific name

Haliaeetus albicilla

When to see

January to December

Species information

Category

Statistics

Length: 80-90cm
Wingspan: 2.2m
Weight: 4.3-5.5kg
Average lifespan: 20-25 years
Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

About

Our largest bird of prey, the white-tailed eagle is sometimes known as the 'sea eagle', and preys on fish, mammals and small birds. It was persecuted to extinction in the UK, but reintroduced from Norway during the 1970s. Today, around 40 pairs now nest in Scotland. Both parents tend to the one or two chicks that hatch each year.

How to identify

A massive and impressive bird of prey, the white-tailed eagle has broader wings than the golden eagle, with which it shares its home. Adults have a white, wedge-shaped tail and a pale head with a yellow bill. They are more likely to be found near the coast than the golden eagle.

Distribution

Found on the Isle of Mull, the west coast of Scotland and increasingly on the south coast of England.

Did you know?

A white-tailed eagle's territory may be up to 70 square kilometres! White-tailed eagles mate for life and breed in the same territory each year. This territory may even be used by successive generations for many more years to come.