Golden eagles set to make return

BIRD lovers could see golden eagles return to England, the Government has said, as it announced new funding to explore their reintroduction.

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Mentioned more than 40 times in Shakespeare's work, the bird of prey has a huge two-metre wingspan and plays a vital role in keeping the ecosystem in balance as an apex predator.

The species was once widespread across England, but it was virtually wiped out in the Victorian era by sheep farmers and gamekeepers, who viewed them as a threat to lambs and game birds, compounded by 20th-century pesticide use affecting their fertility.

Only a handful of pairs have been seen in England in the last 150 years, with the last eagle dying in the Lake District in 2016, though they are still found in Scotland.

A study by Forestry England, published on Sunday, found that England now has the capacity to sustain golden eagle populations again.

The paper identified eight potential "recovery zones" as the most suitable areas, mostly in the north of England, although it could take more than a decade until breeding populations are established in the area.