White-tailed Eagle Watching

During the summer of 2007, the White-Tailed Sea Eagle, one of the largest birds of prey in the world, was reintroduced into Killarney National Park as part of a five-year project.

15 chicks were released from Norway to specific zones of the Killarney National Park. It is hoped that after five to six years the birds will begin to breed across the wider coastal and upland regions of Kerry and West Cork.

While the Eagles can be seen anywhere within the Killarney Valley, more frequented areas include the Black Valley and around Lough Léin.

White-tailed Eagles lived in Ireland for thousands of years, before they were driven to extinction in the early 1900’s, due to poisoning, shooting and egg collecting.

Physical Description
Sea eagles are very large, broad-winged eagles with a wedge-shaped tail. Their plumage is mainly brown, but the adult has a pale head and a white tail. The head and the beak is larger than the golden eagles. The eyes, beak and talons are bright yellow. Sea eagles have a body length of up to 90 centimetres and a wingspan of up to 2.45 metres. Males weigh from 3-5 kilos and females weigh up to 6.5 kilos