White-tailed eagles to return to Exmoor after more than 200 years
Once widespread in England, white-tailed eagles, the country’s largest bird of prey, will return to Exmoor after more than two centuries.
Bird of prey persecution and habitat loss meant that the last breeding pair was recorded in southern England in 1780, until modern reintroduction programs returned these massive predators to the skies.
The reintroduction project on Exmoor will add to the existing release program of white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, which started on the Isle of Wight in 2019.
Up to 20 baby eagles are planned to be released from the Exmoor location over three years, with releases taking place at both locations this summer.
It is hoped that the new project will connect the Isle of Wight’s bird population to the open moors, woodlands and hills of Exmoor National Park, which stretches between west Somerset and north Devon.
The species previously bred along the Exmoor coastline, and in recent years eagles have routinely visited the area, which is recognized as providing ideal habitat for birds that hunt along coastlines and large bodies of water.
The project was led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Trust, who have already released 45 juvenile white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Wight.
To date, four pairs of birds have successfully established territories along the south coast; The first pair bred successfully in 2023, creating the first chick born in the wild in England in over 240 years. Five more wild chicks have been born since then.
Roy Dennis, founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Trust, said: “White-tailed eagles were once a common sight in England but disappeared centuries ago. This project is turning that around and I’m delighted that we have been able to release more birds this year and increase their numbers in the wild.”
Stephen Egerton-Read, from Forestry England, said restoring this lost species was “an important part of restoring biodiversity and supporting nature’s recovery”.
“Seven years after the start of this project, these birds have begun to successfully return to the British landscape by forming pairs, establishing territories and starting to breed.
“Adding new species to Exmoor will help them grow in numbers and continue to spread across southern England. We hope that in coming years these iconic birds will become a much more common sight.”
Reintroducing white-tailed eagles is among the key priorities of the government’s 25-year environment plan, and the announcement to repatriate the birds to Exmoor comes after Defra pledged £90 million to protect hundreds of Britain’s most threatened native wildlife from extinction. Investigating the reintroduction of golden eagles.
In Scotland, where white-tailed eagles were successfully reintroduced in the 1970s, there is significant concern among farmers that huge eagles with wingspans of up to 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) may be preying on lambs, as lamb remains are routinely recorded in eagle nest contents. However, it is difficult to determine whether they routinely kill lambs or eat them as carrion.
Although birds of prey have long been persecuted by many landowners, farmers and gamekeepers across the country, there is great public interest in the return of these native birds. A 2022 RSPB report showed that the presence of white-tailed eagles contributed between £4.9 million-£8 million to annual tourist spending on the tiny Isle of Mull alone.
Natural England said the implementation of the new license allowing white-tailed eagles to be released on Exmoor would be closely monitored.
