The white-tailed eagle (also known as the sea eagle) is a huge bird and the UK’s largest bird of prey. Once extinct in the UK, a series of reintroductions and natural distribution of birds have led to established populations in the north, west and some parts of east Scotland. The body plumage of adults is brown, with a conspicuously paler yellow-brown or whitish-brown head and neck and large yellow bill. As its name suggests, tail feathers are white and very striking, when in flight. The legs are yellow and without ‘trousers’ (unlike the golden eagle).

Behaviour

In flight, it has massive long, broad wings with ‘fingered’ ends (primaries). Its head and neck protrude and it has a short, wedge-shaped tail. It has been likened to a ‘flying barn door’ with wings held flat, almost at right-angles to the body. It has deep wingbeats and a lazy, lolloping flight action.

Adults are typically solitary, or found in pairs (which stay together for life). Resident birds often roost close to the nest throughout the year. Juveniles sometimes gather in loose associations of several individuals. White-tailed eagles are diurnal and spend much of their day perched on trees or crags; often not moving for hours on end.

White-tailed eagles are powerful predators and hunt mostly from perches, in a “sit-and-wait” style, usually from a prominent perch. Fish are usually grabbed in a shallow dive after a short flight from the perch, usually with the eagles only getting their feet wet. Their diet consists mainly of fish and water birds, but also small mammals, such as rabbits and hares. Carrion is often the primary food source during winter months.

White-tailed eagles normally live between 20-30 years.

Size

• Length: 76-92cm
• Wingspan 190-250cm
• Weight: 3.5-5kg (male); 4-7kg (female)

Status

Classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 4: the Red List for Birds (2015). Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Distribution

White-tailed eagles are a rare breeding bird, successfully re-introduced (as fledglings from Norway) into Scotland in the 1970’s, when it was originally confined to the west coast, primarily in the Inner and Outer Hebrides. The first Scottish-bred birds nested in 1996, producing young two years later. Following this, a re-introduction programme was started in east Scotland (Fife and Angus) in 2007 and on the Isle of Wight, in southern UK, in 2019.

When to see

All year round

Facts

• The White-tailed Eagle became extinct in Scotland in 1917.
• Establishing a self-sustaining breeding population takes a long time. The female lays just one or two eggs and juveniles only reach reproductive maturity after five or six years. The establishment of new pairs is also very slow, making population increase and range expansion extremely slow.
• Research suggests there could potentially be between 890 and 1,005 pairs in Scotland by 2040.