ISLE of WIGHT
White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction
The project aims to restore a population of White-tailed Eagles to the South Coast of England, through the release of young White-tailed Eagles from Scotland at a confidential site on the Isle of Wight. The released birds will regard the area as home, and remain to breed in future years. White-tailed Eagles have been successfully reintroduced to both Scotland and Ireland and we are using the same long-established methods on the Isle of Wight.
Project start
2019
Eagles released
45
Pairs breeding in england
2
Chicks fledged from breeding pairs in england in 2025
3
Image: Ainsley Bennet
Why the Isle of Wight?
The White-tailed Eagle formerly bred throughout the British Isles and through western and southern Europe, as well as in northern Europe. But widespread and persistent persecution by humans drove the species to extinction in England by the early nineteenth century, with the last southern English pair nesting on the Isle of Wight in 1780. In partnership with Forestry England, this project works to restore White-tailed Eagles to the Isle of Wight, and surrounding districts, through a multi-year reintroduction project.
After intensive fieldwork and research we chose the Isle of Wight as the optimum White-tailed Eagle release site in southern England. Historically the species’ last nesting site in southern England was at Culver Cliff on the Island. White-tailed Eagle chicks are collected from nests in Scotland under special licence from Scottish Natural Heritage, and transported to the Isle of Wight. The young Eagles are reared in specially designed avian cages before being released as soon as they can fly under a Natural England license. Human contact throughout this period is kept to an absolute minimum. After release the young eagles are provided with additional food nearby the release pens as they develop independence, and are closely monitored in the field by project workers.
The project has been incredibly successful so far, with two breeding pairs now well established in Southern England, with new pairs continuing to for.
Project partners
