White-tailed eagle

How it lives

Pairs usually mate for life and keep the same territory. They nest in old trees, on sea cliffs and sometimes on human structures, and nests can reach about 1.8 m across. Birds mature at about 5 to 6 years and reach full adult plumage at about 8. Young birds are much darker brown, while adults have a paler head and a white wedge-shaped tail. An eagle may spend up to 90% of a day perched, especially in poor weather.

Where it goes

A partial migrant. Birds in the western part of its range, including Norway, are mostly resident, and young birds move more than adults. Young birds leave their birth area around August to September, and Norwegian juveniles have been recorded up to about 720 km to the south. In winter, groups of up to 30 to 50 can gather in Scandinavia.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Least Concern (IUCN, 2021). Europe's breeding pairs rose from about 715 in 1950 to 1965 to about 12,280 in 2018 to 2024, after persecution and pesticide losses. Norway protected the species in 1968. The 2021 Norwegian Red List classes it as Least Concern, with about 5,600 to 8,400 individuals in 2015 and an increasing trend, and 25 to 50% of the global population. Growth has levelled off in places: around Steigen in Nordland, nests peaked at 119 in 2003 and 46 were recorded in 2023, linked to competition for food and nest sites and warmer seas. In Scotland, a reintroduction using Norwegian birds began in the 1970s, and the RSPB reports fewer than 150 pairs in the UK.