Meet the White-tailed Eagle|Cwrdd ag Eryr y Môr

Known in Welsh as Eryr y Môr, the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is Britain’s largest bird of prey and one of its most iconic native raptors, with an impressive wingspan of up to 2.4 metres.

A diurnal raptor belonging to the Accipitridae family and the sea-eagle genus Haliaeetus, the White-tailed Eagle is closely associated with aquatic environments. As an aquatic prey specialist, it is at home around coasts, estuaries, lakes and rivers, spending much of its day perched and watching for opportunities to hunt or scavenge

Once part of Wales’ native biodiversity, White-tailed Eagles disappeared as a breeding species following centuries of persecution. Today, their return across Britain represents one of the country’s most remarkable conservation success stories.

1. Conservation Success | Llwyddiant Cadwraeth

Once extinct as a breeding species in Britain by 1918, White-tailed Eagles have made a remarkable recovery through five decades of conservation and successive reintroduction programmes across Britain and Ireland. Beginning in Scotland in 1975, these restoration efforts have helped re-establish breeding populations across parts of their former range.

2. Current Breeding Distribution | Dosbarthiad Bridio Presennol

Scotland supports Britain's largest established breeding population (150+ breeding pairs), particularly along the west coast, islands and expanding mainland areas. Ireland also supports a recovering breeding population (20 pairs), while a smaller population is developing in southern England (3 pairs). Despite this progress, the species' distribution remains relatively small and fragmented, with Wales still lacking an established breeding population.

3. Succesfull Reintroductions | Ailgyflwyniadau Llwyddiannus

Over 50 years of tried-and-tested reintroduction methods, beginning in Scotland in 1975, Ireland in 2007 and the Isle of Wight in 2019, have successfully restored breeding White-tailed Eagles to parts of their historic range. These programmes have demonstrated that released juveniles tend to return to breed within approximately 60 km of their release sites, supporting the establishment of local breeding populations.

4. Proposed Reintroductions | Ailgyflwyniadau Arfaethedig

Further reintroduction programmes are proposed for Cumbria and Southeast Wales, aiming to restore breeding White-tailed Eagles to suitable areas of their historic range. Releases also commenced in Exmoor in 2026, representing an emerging restoration programme. These initiatives contribute to wider efforts to restore the species' former distribution across Britain.

5. Natural Colonisation | Ailgytrefu Naturiol

Young White-tailed Eagles can disperse hundreds of kilometres, occasionally visiting Wales before returning towards their natal or release areas upon reaching breeding maturity. This behaviour, known as natal philopatry, occurs in both wild and reintroduced populations, with released birds typically breeding within 11–60 km of release sites, contributing to slow natural range expansion and potentially delaying recolonisation of Wales for decades.

6. Reintroduction in Wales | Ailgyflwyno yng Nghymru

Southeast Wales and the Severn Estuary provide extensive coastal, wetland and river habitats suitable for breeding White-tailed Eagles. Strategically located, the proposed reintroduction aims to restore this lost native species to Wales without creating another fragmented breeding population, while strengthening connectivity with emerging populations in southern England, promoting genetic exchange and a more resilient British metapopulation.