White-tailed eagles, the largest bird of prey in England, are set to return to Exmoor after more than 200 years. The species was once widespread across the country but was lost due to raptor persecution and habitat loss, with the last breeding pair recorded in southern England in 1780.
The reintroduction project, led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, will release up to 20 young eagles from an Exmoor location over three years. This complements an existing programme on the Isle of Wight, which began in 2019 and has already released 45 young eagles. Releases will take place at both locations this summer.
It is hoped that the new project will link the Isle of Wight population to the open moorland, woodlands and hills of Exmoor National Park, which straddles west Somerset and north Devon. The species formerly bred along the Exmoor coastline, and in recent years eagles have routinely visited the area, which provides ideal habitat for hunting along coastlines and large bodies of water.
To date, four pairs of white-tailed eagles have formed territories along the south coast, with the first successful breeding in 2023 producing the first wild chick in England for over 240 years. Since then, a further five wild chicks have been born. Roy Dennis, founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: “White-tailed eagles were once a common sight in England but were lost centuries ago. This project is reversing that situation.”
Stephen Egerton-Read from Forestry England described returning the species as “a key part of restoring biodiversity and supporting nature recovery”. The reintroduction is a priority in the government’s 25-year environment plan, and follows a £90m pledge by Defra to safeguard threatened native wildlife. However, concerns remain among farmers in Scotland, where eagles have been reintroduced since the 1970s, about potential predation on lambs, though the extent is difficult to establish.
Natural England said implementation of the new licence for releases in Exmoor will be closely monitored. Public interest is high, with a 2022 RSPB report showing that white-tailed eagles contribute between £4.9m and £8m annually in tourist spending on the Isle of Mull alone.
