Exmoor
White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction
The translocation and release of White-tailed Eagle in Exmoor will be a continuation of our ongoing project to restore White-tailed Eagle to Southern England, which since the beginning of the Isle of Wight reintroduction in 2019 has been incredibly successful, with two wild pairs breeding successfully in 2025. The project aims to release up to 20 Eagles on the North Coast of Exmoor over a three year period, in partnership with Exmoor National Park and Forestry England.
Project start
2026
Eagles released
0
Pairs breeding in england
2
Chicks fledged from breeding pairs in england in 2025
3
Image: Richard Price
Why Exmoor?
Seven White-tailed Eagles have lingered on Exmoor since the project first began, including G405, the female which has bred successfully for the past two summers. The north coast of Exmoor, which extends for 37 miles with expansive areas of coastal woodland – the longest stretch in England and Wales – and abundant marine fish species including Grey Mullet, and European Bass, provides highly suitable breeding habitat, and there is a wealth of quiet areas for loafing immature birds across the national park. Research by Evans et al. (2012) demonstrates that White-tailed Eagles formerly bred along the Exmoor coast.
We would plan to release up to 20 birds over a three year period, using the same methodology as the Isle of Wight. This will require a licence from Natural England and permission from NatureScot to continue translocating birds from Scotland. A release site has been identified on land owned by Exmoor National Park, but as on the Isle of Wight, this site will remain confidential. The project would be run in partnership with Exmoor National Park. If a licence is granted then a local steering group would be set-up in the same way as on the Isle of Wight..
Project partners
