WHITE-TAILED EAGLE REINTRODUCTION TO SOUTHERN ENGLAND
Latest news: Additional releases from Exmoor National Park begin this summer
The return of Britain’s largest bird of prey, White-tailed Eagles, to the South of England is to be boosted this year following approval on the 13th of May by Natural England, the Government’s wildlife licencing authority, for more of these iconic birds to be released.
Photo: Richard Moore
“We are strong advocates that White-tailed Eagles should be restored to all areas where they used to occur in the UK, as well as in southern and western Europe”
Roy Dennis OBE
White-tailed Eagle Reintroduction
Project start
2019
Eagles released
45
Pairs breeding in england
2
Chicks fledged from breeding pairs in england in 2025
3
White-tailed Eagles were once widespread along the whole of the South Coast of England, from Cornwall to Kent, before being driven to extinction by relentless persecution that began in the Middle Ages. The last pair bred on Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780. Many parts of southern England remain highly suitable for the species, and following the reintroduction of White-tailed Eagles to Scotland – where there are now approximately 180 breeding pairs – we were granted licences by Natural England and Nature Scot to begin an English reintroduction in partnership with Forestry England, based on the Isle of Wight. A feasibility report was submitted to both Natural England and Nature Scot as part of the licence applications. The initial licence permitted the release of up to 60 young eagles on the Isle of Wight over a five year period, beginning in 2019. It is hoped that a small population of 6-8 breeding pairs will become established within 60km of the Isle of Wight, with birds spreading east and west along the South Coast. In 2026, Natural England issued a further license to release up to 20 White-tailed Eagles over 3 years from Exmoor National Park, to support the expanding population in Southern England.
Image: Ainsley Bennet
Phase 2: reinforcement of establishing population
The project to date has demonstrated that England is highly suitable for White-tailed
Eagles, mirroring the growing population in the Netherlands and other parts of lowland Europe. Nevertheless, we believe it is important to maintain commitment to full restoration of the species by translocation; rearing and releasing young eagles in other areas of southern England in a coordinated manner. It is our view that eagle hotspots, identified by the satellite tracking data, should be the focus of further release of young birds in order to facilitate the geographical expansion of the establishing English population.
After careful examination of the reintroduced eagles’ movements and behaviour, we consider South-West England and East Anglia to be the most suitable areas. These are the two key English regions within which immature birds have lingered for prolonged periods and lie beyond the area in which Isle of Wight birds are likely to settle. Sex-based differences in natal dispersal, and the importance of conspecific attraction in White-tailed Eagle settlement patterns means that wild-fledged and translocated birds are more likely to settle greater distances from their natal site if they encounter other eagles.
Evidence from the Isle of Wight project indicates that coastal locations, or inland areas close to large areas of freshwater, with woodland nearby, are best. It is clear that prey availability in southern England is high and this, combined with more benign climatic conditions, should ensure that the productivity of breeding pairs is higher than in Scotland, which will lead to more young birds being recruited to the pool of potential breeders.
South West England
White-tailed Eagles have been regular visitors to South-West England since the Isle of Wight project began. Analysis of satellite tracking data has shown that favoured areas are Exmoor, Bodmin Moor – particularly Colliford Lake – and the estuaries of South Devon and South Cornwall, which all lie outside the expected natal dispersal distance of White-tailed Eagles released on the Isle of Wight. As such a series of small-scale releases could help to aid the geographical expansion of the population.
Initial fieldwork, and discussions with a range of stakeholders, have been positive and a potential release site has been identified in Exmoor National Park.
Exmoor
Fourteen White-tailed Eagles have visited Exmoor since the project first began. 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.
Ideal habitat along the Exmoor coastline
We will release up to 20 birds over a three-year period, using the same methodology as the Isle of Wight, under a licence from Natural England and permission from Nature Scot to continue translocating birds from Scotland, granted in May 2026. 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 is run in partnership with Exmoor National Park and a local steering group will be set-up in the same way as on the Isle of Wight.
The history of White-tailed Eagles in the UK
The White-tailed Eagle was formerly widespread across the whole of the United Kingdom before suffering intense persecution beginning in the Middle Ages, which led to a drastic decline. By the late eighteenth century only a few isolated breeding pairs persisted in England, with the last known pair in the south breeding on Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780. The last breeding pair in England was thought to be on the Isle of Man in 1815 while in Scotland the species was lost in the early twentieth century, with the last known pair breeding for a final time in 1916.
Concerted efforts to restore the White-tailed Eagle to Scotland began in the middle part of the twentieth century. Early releases were undertaken in 1959 and 1968, and although they failed, the 1968 release in particular – which was undertaken by Roy Dennis on Fair Isle – was a valuable test of translocation, husbandry and release methods. A total of 75 Norwegian young were subsequently released on Rum National Nature Reserve between 1975 and 1985, and this led to the first successful breeding in 1985. The population was relatively slow to expand and so an additional 56 birds were released between 1993 and 1998 using improved techniques. By 2000 there were 22 breeding pairs and the 100th chick fledged successfully.
Since then the population in Scotland, predominantly in western parts, has expanded to more than 180 breeding pairs. Following the successes in the west, 85 juvenile White-tailed Eagles were released on the east coast between 2007 and 2012, with birds again imported from Norway. The first pair in eastern Scotland subsequently bred successfully in 2013. Meanwhile a total of 226 chicks were translocated to Ireland in two phases between 2007 and 2024. There are now at least ten breeding pairs.
Image: Jacqui Leeming
Successful projects so far…
Scotland
A full-scale reintroduction was started by the Nature Conservancy (now Scottish Natural Heritage) in 1975 on the island of Rum, where sea eagles had last bred in 1907. Over the next ten years 82
eaglets (39 males and and 43 females) were translocated from Norway. The first successful breeding occurred in in 1985 on Mull. Further releases were carried out and now a successful and viable population continues to breed.
Image: Mike Crutch
Ireland
A total of 226 chicks were translocated to Ireland in two phases between 2007 and 2024. There are now at least ten breeding pairs.
Image: Jacqui Leeming
Isle of Wight
This project is restoring a population of White-tailed Eagles to the South Coast of England. This involves the release of young White-tailed Eagles from Scotland at a confidential site on the Isle of Wight. The released birds regard the area as home, and remain to breed in future years. The first six birds were released in August
2019, and to date 45 birds have been released and in 2025 two pairs bred successfully in Southern England.
Image: Ainsley Bennet
About the White-tailed Eagle
The White-tailed Eagle or sea eagle is the UK’s largest bird of prey, with a huge wing span of up to 2.5 metres. The wings are very broad and appear more rectangular than those of a golden eagle. They have fingered tips. As the name suggests, they have a white tail, ridged with black in juveniles. The short tail has a distinctive wedge shape. The head and neck are pale, almost white in mature birds, although juveniles are dark brown, and do not attain full adult plumage until 4-5 years of age. They have a hooked yellow beak, much more prominent than that of a golden eagle, and piercing golden eyes. The legs and talons are yellow.
Habitat and distribution
White-tailed eagles are found along rocky coastlines, estuaries and lochs near the sea, although they will also range inland, especially juveniles. The species is very widely distributed, with strongholds in Russia and Norway. It has been reintroduced to the UK, after being driven to extinction, and is now found in Scotland and Ireland. In Scotland the best places to see White-tailed Eagles are Mull, Skye and parts of the northwest Highlands.
DIET
White-tailed Eagles eat a variety of prey. As their other common name, sea eagle, suggests, they take fish, but also birds, mammals and carrion. They are opportunistic hunters and often steal food
from other birds. Their method of fishing is very different to that of the osprey; flying low over the water before briefly hovering and snatching the fish, whereas ospreys will hover from a great height and then drop quickly down to the water. White-tailed Eagles will also sometimes plunge right into the water.
Reproduction
White-tailed Eagles reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years of age. Eyries are built in the top of mature trees, made from sticks. They are often added to each year and so can become huge structures, more than 2 metres wide and deep. 1-3 eggs are laid in late March-early April and incubated for 38 to 40 days, predominantly by the female. For the first three weeks after hatching the male does all of the hunting, and after that time the female will take turns to hunt. The young fledge after 70 days and remain reliant on their parents for a further 5-6 weeks. Young White-tailed Eagles often roam widely in their first few years of life, before finding a breeding territory and mate. They can live to over 20 years of age.
Status and threats
White-tailed Eagles are classified by the IUCN as ‘Least Concern’. The species was persecuted to extinction and suffered huge losses in the 1950s and 1960s due to organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, which caused egg shell thinning. White tailed eagles are strictly protected under Schedules 1, 1A and A1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. They are included on the Red List of UK birds of conservation concern. Internationally, they are listed on CITES Appendix I and II and CMS Appendix I and II.