Two white-tailed eagles born in England - Forestry England
Two white-tailed eagle chicks have fledged from a nest in England, only the second time these iconic birds have bred here for over 240 years. The chicks were reared by a pair of white-tailed eagles released by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation’s project to return this lost species to England.
The chicks, both males, are the offspring of two white-tailed eagles released by the project in 2020. The parent birds - female G405 and male G471 – were the same pairing that last year successfully raised a single male chick (G625), the first white-tailed eagle to be born in southern England since 1780.
The two chicks – G636 and G637 - are fitted with satellite tags so that the project team can track their progress. Over the last year they have used satellite data to follow last year’s chick (G625) as he has explored widely across the UK travelling as far as the north of Scotland.
White-tailed eagles typically reach breeding maturity at around four or five years old. From the birds released by the project, four pairs have now formed and established territories in southern England. It is hoped that these other pairs will breed in future years.
Roy Dennis OBE, Founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: “Restoring a breeding population in southern England, where the species was once widespread, has been our ultimate goal. So, to see this second year of breeding success is really encouraging. It is still early days, but this is a very significant milestone. We are always so heartened to see the support of so many people towards these magnificent birds and the positive reactions those lucky enough to have seen one have. This success demonstrates our ability to restore nature, including very large iconic species; nature recovery requires even greater effort from us all.”
Posted On: 08/08/2024
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