Like lambs to the slaughter

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

- By Mark Cocker

WITH a wingspan of some 8ft and the heaviest females weighing in at 16½lb, this species isn't only the largest raptor, it is one of the biggest of all birds in these islands. For sheer size and visual impact, there is nothing to compare with this remarkable creature. The broad tail is curiously short and, as it is white in an adult, it can even look absent as the bird flies. Both factors emphasise the massively broad wings—often likened to a barn door—but our eye is also drawn to the protruding head, which is thickened by long hackles around the neck. Finally, at its prow, a white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) carries an immense beak with the power to flense meat from a dead whale.

Often called the 'sea eagle', which reflects a strong coastal bias in its distribution and ecology, it will eat waterbirds within a size range from tiny ducklings to full-grown swans. Cormorants, gulls, eiders, grebes and auks are also considered fair game; so, too, are 29 species of fish.