Going for gold

The white-tailed eagle, the UK’s largest bird of prey, was brought back from extinction – and it all started with an ambitious project on a mountainous Scottish island, half a century ago...

Birds of prey in flight have a reputation for being very tough to identify. However, follow these guidelines and you have a good chance of telling these five larger species apart. Note photos are not to scale.

A penchant for spring lamb saw white-tailed eagles ruthlessly exterminated, but the beguiling ‘flying barn door’ is back on our shores following a somewhat controversial reintroduction

It may appear lethargic, but no one could argue with the hunting prowess of the common buzzard when it transforms into a surging missile intent on an unsuspecting victim

The marsh harrier, with its effortlessly slow and floating signature manoeuvre, is so enjoying its UK comeback that it now stays with us all year round

Scourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey