adult underwing

adult underwing adult European distribution soaring adult

Identification

The White-tailed is the largest and most impressive of the European eagles, appearing altogether bulkier and more vulture-like than the Golden Eagle. Adults are, of course, quite unmistakeable with their short gleaming white tails but its worth studying their outline to help you to identify a duller-plumaged immature bird. The whole shape of the bird is dominated by the massive wings, making the tail rather inconsequential. The outer primaries seem to bulge out further than the inner ones creating 'club-ended wings'. If the bird is seen in level flight, look at how the big head and massive beak protrude forwards. Plumage features which also help to separate immatures from other eagles are the pale stripes down the tail and the blotchy, ill-defined pale areas on both the upperwing and underwing but especially under the 'armpits'.

Habitat

Resident in coastal areas and some inland wetlands. Winters at additional sites such as reservoirs and fishponds.

Migration

Adults are resident but immature birds are partially migratory.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, White-tailed Eagle is classed as Scarce: broadly speaking, species that are covered in British Birds' annual review of scarce species (and forms of similar rarity).

Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll 17/08/2010	Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll 15/08/2010	Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll 15/08/2010	Mull, Argyll 21/05/2010	Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll 16/08/2010
Fife Ness, Fife 29/08/2010	Fife Ness, Fife 29/08/2010	undisc. site, Fife 26/08/2010	undisc. site, Fife 26/08/2010	undisc. site, Fife 26/08/2010

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White-tailed Eagle breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Sweden
Turkey
Ukraine

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	Natural England: White-tailed Eagle reintroduction project support withdrawn	Monday 14th June 2010
	Funding restraints cause Natural England to pull out of controversial scheme.   read on
	RSPB: Lamb survival and White-tailed Eagles	Monday 10th May 2010
	The RSPB comments on an SNH report on lamb survival in the Gairloch area.   read on
	RSPB: The eagles have landed!	Thursday 25th June 2009
	White-tailed Eagle chicks flown in from Norway welcomed by Minister.   read on
	RSPB: White-tailed Eagles in Norfolk?	Saturday 22nd November 2008
	Natural England, Anglian Water and the RSPB are consulting the public. What do you think?   read on
	Crofters in the northwest Highlands claim White-tailed Eagles have killed more than 200 lambs	Tuesday 23rd September 2008
	Are introduced birds really to blame for livestock losses?   read on
	Introduced White-tailed Eagle disappears in suspicious circumstances	Tuesday 4th December 2007
	Foul play is strongly suspected as a Norwegian introduced bird goes missing near an Angus grouse moor.   read on
	RSPB: A landmark in White-tailed Eagle history	Monday 19th November 2007
	Highest number of breeding pairs since reintroduction began in 1970s   read on
	White-tailed Eagle Comeback Scheme for Scotland	Monday 25th June 2007
	Concern about dangers to Britain's biggest birds of prey from windfarms came as 15 White-tailed Eagle chicks were flown to Scotland for a new comeback scheme.   read on
	Back from the Brink. No 13: White-tailed Eagle	Wednesday 10th May 2006
	The last of our articles charting the recovery of some of the UK's rarest breeding birds. Here we look at the White-tailed Eagle, a truly magnificent species that is once again growing in number in Scotland.   read on

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