For the first time in 240 years, a white-tailed eagle has fledged in the wild at a secret location in southern England
Sheena Harvey
The birth of a male white-tailed eagle signals the success of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation (RDWF) and Forestry England project to return these iconic birds of prey to their original widespread locations along the southern coast of England. The last time a white-tailed eagle chick fledged in England, the American Revolutionary War was in full swing, while in Germany, Mozart was working on his opera Idomeneo.
For two centuries these magnificent birds, with wingspans up to 2.5m, were missing from most of the UK, having been wiped out by human persecution by the early 20th century.
In 2020, the parents of the landmark bird were translocated from the Outer Hebrides and north-west Sutherland in Scotland to the Isle of Wight. This is an area with plentiful food to sustain them. It is also a location from which the birds could disperse to cliffs, lakes and forest.
Female G405 and male G471 were two of 25 eagles (16 are still alive) released by the RDWF and Forestry England as part of the ongoing project. And they are one of three pairs to have now established breeding territories in the south of England.
The chick hatched earlier this summer at a nest on private land, the exact location of which is being kept a secret to ensure the welfare of the young bird.
“This is a very special moment
