Once widespread across England, white-tailed eagles – the country's largest bird of prey – are set to make a return to Exmoor after more than two hundred years.
Raptor persecution along with habitat loss meant the last breeding pair was recorded in southern England in 1780, until modern reintroduction programmes have returned these enormous predators to the skies.
The reintroduction project in Exmoor will add to an existing programme of releases of white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, which began on the Isle of Wight in 2019.
Up to 20 young eagles are set to be released from the Exmoor location over the course of three years, and releases will take place at both locations this summer.
It is hoped that the new project will link the population of birds in the Isle of Wight to the open moorland, woodlands and hills of Exmoor National Park which straddles west Somerset and north Devon.
The species formerly bred along the Exmoor coastline, and in recent years the eagles have routinely visited the area, which is recognised as providing ideal habitat for the birds that hunt along coastlines and large bodies of water.
The project was led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, which have already released 45 young white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Wight.
To date, four pairs of birds have successfully formed territories along the south coast, with the first pair to successfully breed in 2023, resulting in the first chick to be born in the wild in England for over 240 years. Since then, a further five wild chicks have been born.
Roy Dennis, founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: “White-tailed eagles were once a common sight in England but were lost centuries ago. This project is reversing that situation, and I am delighted that we will be able to release additional birds this year and boost their numbers in the wild."
Stephen Egerton-Read from Forestry England, said returning this lost species was "a key part of restoring biodiversity and supporting nature recovery".
"Seven years on from the start of this project these birds have begun to successfully return to the English landscape – forming pairs, establishing territories and breeding.
"Adding additional releases at Exmoor will help to boost their numbers and continue their spread across southern England. We hope that in years to come these iconic birds will become a much more common sight.”
The reintroduction of white-tailed eagles is among the key priorities in the government’s 25-year environment plan, and the announcement of the return of the birds to Exmoor comes after Defra pledged £90m to safeguard hundreds of England’s most threatened native wildlife from extinction, and includes exploring the reintroduction of golden eagles.
In Scotland where white-tailed eagles were successfully reintroduced in the 1970s, there are considerable concerns among farmers that the enormous eagles, which have a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres (over 8 feet), may be predating on lambs, as lamb remains are routinely recorded in the eagle's nest contents. However the extent to whether they are routinely killing the lambs or eating them as carrion is difficult to establish.
While birds of prey have long been persecuted by many landowners, farmers and gamekeepers across the country, there is enormous public interest in the return of these indigenous birds. A 2022 RSPB report showed that the presence of white-tailed eagles contributes between £4.9m – £8m in annual tourist spend on the tiny Isle of Mull alone.
Natural England said implementation of the new licence allowing the release of white-tailed eagles in Exmoor will be closely monitored.
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