More than 100 years after white-tailed sea eagles vanished from Ireland, the country is celebrating another encouraging step in the species’ remarkable return.
Fota Wildlife Park in County Cork has successfully raised a white-tailed sea eagle chick, marking the first time in more than a decade that the species has bred at the park.
The young eagle hatched on April 13 to resident pair Áine and Tony. According to the park’s conservation team, both parents quickly adapted to caring for their demanding offspring and have done an excellent job raising the chick.
That is no small responsibility. White-tailed sea eagles are the largest eagles in Europe, with adults capable of reaching wingspans of around 2.5 meters. During the breeding season, the parents require substantial amounts of food each day to maintain their own strength while feeding their growing young.
The chick’s successful fledging is especially meaningful because of the species’ difficult history in Ireland.
White-tailed sea eagles were once a familiar sight along the Irish coastline, but decades of persecution by humans eventually caused the population to disappear completely. For more than a century, the species was absent from the country.
A major reintroduction effort began in 2007. Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service, working alongside the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, farmers and local communities, started releasing white-tailed sea eagles at carefully selected locations around Ireland.
Since then, more than 200 birds have been released.
The conservation program has now reached an important point, with Ireland’s population considered capable of sustaining itself without depending entirely on continued releases.
Fota Wildlife Park has played a role in the species’ recovery for decades. The park became involved in white-tailed sea eagle conservation in 1991 and has successfully bred six chicks over the years.
Conservation staff hope the latest youngster may eventually join a European breeding program for threatened species. If that happens, the Cork-born eagle could contribute to protecting the species well beyond Ireland.
The sea eagle is only one part of Fota’s broader conservation work. The park is also involved in programs supporting several vulnerable Irish species, including curlews and endangered white-clawed crayfish.
Another notable success involves the natterjack toad. Conservationists collect toad spawn from ponds in County Kerry and raise the young animals through their most vulnerable stages before releasing them back into the wild.
Since 2016, more than 13,600 young natterjack toads have been returned to their natural habitat, with hundreds more expected to be released.
For Fota’s team, the newly fledged eagle represents more than the successful breeding of a single bird. It is evidence of what long-term cooperation between scientists, conservation organizations, local communities and wildlife managers can achieve.
A bird that humans once drove to extinction in Ireland is now raising a new generation there — this time with people working to ensure it has a future.